Author: Dan Gendro

A new report predicts that the rate of wearables in U.S. classrooms will notably increase in the coming years.

According to a report from Research and Markets, the classroom wearables technology market will accelerate at an impressive rate over the next four years, growing at a CAGR of 45.52% between 2016 and 2020. Reportedly, this growth trend is mostly due to the development of wearable devices designed to sync with smartphones.

More companies in the telecommunications, mobile and apps industries are seeking to expand into the wearables market.

The 63-page report features big-name companies such as Google, Apple, and Microsoft, who are associated with the education sector and who manufacture wearable devices. It also mentions other leaders in the wearable tech market, including Fitbit, Samsung and Nike.

According to the report summary, “various technology companies are investing heavily in R&D to remain competitive. This is resulting in the incorporation of innovative functionalities, such as gesture recognition and augmented reality, in classroom wearable technology devices. Devices such as Fin, Ring, Kapture, and Myo are some of the products equipped with such modern features.”

It notes that Fin is a smart wearable device designed to be worn on the thumb and functions based on finger gestures.

Improved student engagement is one of the key growth drivers of classroom wearables technology.

Improved digitalization in education, school and institutions has lead to the adoption of digital gadgets and tools like e-learning modules and tablets to better student engagement. Wearable technology has taken this improvement further and has enhanced engagement in ways that were once not considered possible.

For instance, Google Glass gives students the power to harness augmented reality. They can create first-person videos and take part in unique point-of-view experiences. Meanwhile, virtual reality headsets like the Oculus Rift, introduces students into an entirely different immersive 3D learning experience. Such devices can assist students in learning languages among other useful subjects.

That being said, the report does note that one of the major challenges that the wearable tech market faces and will continue to face is the lack of security and data privacy. Still, even with these concerns, the classroom wearable technology market will only continue to evolve with the development and release of new tech.

One in four mobile consumers has at least one mobile app specific to restaurants on their smartphone.

This statistic was discovered by a recent study published by RetailMeNot, Inc., which commissioned Google Consumer Surveys to poll more than 1,000 American consumers on their dining and food habits, including smartphone usage for searches and activities related to restaurants. What the study found was that there were several interesting consumer smartphone trends related to food and dining, such as among the participants surveyed who said that they dine out eight to ten times per week, over two-thirds of these respondents use a restaurant-specific mobile app.

Consumers between the ages of 25 and 34 engage in the most restaurant research on their mobile devices.

The main reasons why restaurant goers use their smartphones is to locate restaurants (53%), browse a menu (49%) and research new restaurants (37%). According to the study, smartphone users in the 25 to 34 age range (millennials) were the most likely to research new restaurants on their mobile phone compared to any other age group (60%).

Mobile marketing is an important part of restaurant-related consumer smartphone trends.

It was discovered that nine out of ten diners who participated in the survey said that they have searched for a restaurant deal at least once. Furthermore, those who earn the most money also tend to be the ones who use online or mobile restaurant deals the most. That being said, eight out of ten consumers who participated admitted that they would likely try a new restaurant if a deal was being offered.

Chief marketing officer in North America for RetailMeNot, Inc., Marissa Tarleton, explained that with the increasing number of consumers turning to their smartphones to assist them with their dining choices, it is becoming more important for restaurants to make the most of mobile advertising.

“Mobile marketing technology is a powerful medium when it comes to serving up the right dining content, in the right location, at the right time,” Tarleton said. “When done well, mobile has the ability to drive more diners through their doors and keep them coming back for more.”

The bottom line is that while researching restaurant locations and new venues is among the bigger smartphone trends for American restaurant patrons, it seems that the majority of consumers actively use their mobile devices to take advantage of restaurant deals.