Wearable devices are trendy: smart watches, bands, glasses flood the market. But are those labeled “wearable” truly useful? The more you think, the more “wearable” feels like a pseudo-concept — catching eyes but failing to deliver experience.

Last week I met a friend from Capcare. He introduced several upcoming tracking products for pets, cars, and people. I’m not optimistic about human or car trackers, but pet tracking looks promising. Personally, I believe “dog-wearables” have stronger market potential than human wearables.

I have little interest in car or human devices. There are too many car locators on the market. Even with “internet thinking” it’s hard to stand out. Human tracking collides with 360’s “Child Guardian” — marketing would be tough. So I suggested focusing on pet products.

Calling pet wearables “wearables” might be inappropriate — let’s just call them “dog-wearables”. Interesting thought. Currently, domestic wearable companies are mushrooming, with Baidu, 360 and other giants joining the battle. But few focus on “dog-wearables”. Is the pet market underestimated, or have we simply forgotten this big cake?

I used to dismiss pet tracking as just putting a tag on an animal. After listening to my friend, I learned it can define safe zones, track exercise and health data easily. Suddenly I have a bold prediction: “dog-wearables” will outperform “human wearables”. Let me prove it.

Bluetooth transmission = phone accessory?

Most wearables rely on Bluetooth — they are just smartphone peripherals. Leave the phone, they go silent.

In other words, a smartphone can fully replace a smart band or watch. Worse, many tasks are easier with the phone. Wearables always live in the phone’s shadow. Call them “wearable phone accessories” instead.

Dog-wearables, however, are independent. Products like GSM+GPS dual-mode can record pet location and upload to servers. When the pet leaves a safe zone, alarms trigger. Users can download and analyze data via PC or mobile app.

Simply put: dogs don’t use phones. Their wearables are irreplaceable.

Defining market potential: how many people can use it, or how many need to use it? The latter is far more relevant.

The wearable device market has huge potential, but what users need is not today’s offerings. If wearables are just mashups of trackers, pedometers, and Bluetooth headsets, smart users will see through it. Rather than buying flashy but useless gadgets, they’d buy a great phone.

The dog-wearable market is crystal clear. Any household that owns and loves pets sees dog-wearables as a necessity. Recently, a pet public service ad “Love them for a lifetime” played on buses. To accompany them for a lifetime, you must first prevent unnecessary separation. “Pet GPS” precisely hits that pain point.

Many people hesitate to spend on themselves but spoil their pets. That’s the market.

Duration reveals the sadness of many wearable consumers.

Simple question: those who bought Samsung Gear — do you wear it every day?

This comes back to substitutability. When a product is replaceable and mediocre, people treat it as a novelty toy. Today, the number of wearables collecting dust at home may exceed those actually worn.

Dog-wearables are different. Because they work independently, they can stay with pets for long periods. Constant “contact with the user” makes such pet products far more valuable.

Wearables that users do not want to wear are worthless.

Users need independent products with real technological innovation. Dog-wearables, precisely because of their unusual audience — dogs — have a clearer market. Domestic wearable manufacturers should slow down and consider that the pet sector might bring richer rewards.

As a dog owner, current dog-wearables are still primitive. If they could integrate the following features, they would become truly innovative products:

• Semantic recognition: Recognize and translate pet behavior and sounds — a groundbreaking tool for human-pet communication.
• Health monitoring: Real-time analysis of pet health, early warnings of health risks — acting as a personal veterinarian.
• Danger alerts: When the pet approaches toxic or hazardous items, the device warns via electrical impulse or sound — keeping pets safe.

Wearables must avoid falling into a cycle of “gimmick innovation”. What users really want is revolutionary technological improvement. For now, “dog-wearables” look like a brilliant breakthrough.