Making Smart Glasses Smarter
Business Context
Tech continues to infiltrate our daily lives - our phones became ‘smart’, then so did our speakers, watches, and now even rings. Any accessory is a culprit to be technologized… just have to sprinkle in some technology then market it with the word smart in front of it.
The humble glasses happens to be next with smart glasses gearing up for its glow up. Though tech on your eyes has been in the works for a while and Meta is no stranger to the category. It pumped a lot of money into VR headsets (Oculus and now Meta Quest) and now is partnering with Ray-Ban on smart glasses. To help make the future look clearer (see what I did there?), Meta commissioned research to get a better understanding of the smart glasses landscape and identify white space opportunities.
Methodology
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Quarterly online surveys among nationally representative sample, including augment for smart glasses/Ray-Ban Meta owners.
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One-on-one in-depth interviews consisting of a mock-store visit where consumers were asked to shop for a new wearable tech. The store display included smart watches and smart glasses.
TAKEAWAYS
Awareness:
Overall knowledge of the smart glasses industry is minimal, with Ray-Ban Meta as the poster child. Relative to competitors, it has high awareness… for now. CES 2025 was the ultimate coming-out party with smart glasses taking center stage.
Consideration:
Inheriting the legacy brand from two powerhouses - iconic eyewear design from Ray-Ban and tech leader Meta - there is naturally higher interest and trust in the collab.
However, there are misconceptions of what smart glasses can currently offer. People are expecting out of this world tech advancement (have you heard of, AI?) … think back to how 90’s kids thought about the flying car in Jetsons, the time machine in Back to the Future.
Purchase:
When it comes to sealing the deal, customers need assurance that the smart glasses are going to meet both tech and eyewear needs, and not break the bank!
Tech: long battery life (table-stakes), adds value in life/does something current devices do not offer, easy usability, but not a distraction
Eyewear: comfortable, matches personal aesthetic, has prescriptions if needed
Usage:
With product in hand, some customers find that the smart glasses may not be as ‘smart’ as expected with AI, in particular, falling short of expectations
Opportunities
In-store demos + video tutorials to drive better awareness of product features
AI innovation, give the customers what they want and expect
Hardware development to make the product fit better in everyday routine - figuratively and literally…sorry, signed NDA and can’t speak to this but keep an eye out ;)