Wearables and smart devices transforming the travel experience

As  demand explodes as the world’s major consumer electronics firms go into overdrive launching innovative new products, 2015 will no doubt be seen as a key year for smart devices.

Many of these products are transforming or will transform and enhance the travel experience.

Wearables provide untold opportunities for the travel industry. There are now more than 150 different devices available, and it’s only a matter of time that many - that are not already - are optimised for travellers. There are wearables for most of the body, including the wrist (most famously the Applewatch); the chest and neck (such as the Sigmo language translator); waist (for example the Elocator Checkpoint, a geolocator) and the head (most notably the Google Glass, production currently suspended but developmemnt ongoing). The many other travel-related features on wearables being ddeveloped includes a hair slide that UK-based research and development firm Cambridge Consultants is developing, that tells you how much ultraviolet exposure you’ve had during the day.

Last year’s Euromonitor Global Trends Report confirmed that wearable electronics technology will be a mainstream consumer product by 2016. Indeed, wearable internet-connected devices are set to mushroom from a modest 9 million global sales in 2013 to a staggering 180 million in 2016. Research company Futuresource found that interest in buying smartwatches more than doubled in 2014 alone, and at least 83 million wearable tech units are expected to have been purchased by 2018.

Cynics have tried to play down the growth of wearables - most vocally by suggesting that sales of the Apple Watch may have plunged (even though Apple outsold every smartwatch manufacturer's 2014 numbers on day one) - but the sheer scale of investment in the sector guarantees that wearables are here to stay.

The travel industry will increasingly benefit from mobile payments technology and wearable devices combining, which in turn creates strong conversion-driving opportunities for brands.

Airlines such as KLM, Delta, Vueling, Iberia and airberlin already offer smartwatch boarding passes, and a traveller using Apple Pay with their Apple Watch will typically increasingly be used by a hotel guest to check in and out of a hotel, allow an airline passenger to pay for extra purchases such as lounge passes, or for transport from the airport to city.

Like many airlines, American Airlines launched an app for the Apple Watch following its launch in April, providing everything from driving time to the airport to baggage claim and connecting gates information. American is just one of many travel industry companies that believes Apple Pay will provide plenty of additional opportunities to promote and convert last minute impulse ancillary products, such as seat upgrades.

There’s a fast-growing choice of travel-related apps for wearables, including Expedia’s app that provides itineraries,  flight departure and arrival times, gate numbers and terminals, and hotel check-in/out times, maps, directions, and phone numbers. Chinese travel site Qunar, with booking functionalities, such as last-minute hotel deals, and travel organiser TripIt have built apps for wearables. Starwood Hotels’ SPG app allows guests to open their room with their Apple Watch, as well as browse and book their hotel brands - including Sheraton, Westin and Le Meridien.

The travel industry recognises that wearables are as useful for staff as they are for customers. Japan Airlines has equipped staff with smart watches, while Quebec City International Airport’s supplying its workforce with the devices means that the airport has been able to provide staff with real time alerts and notifications to help increase operational efficiency by connecting to the airport management system.

It won’t be long before wearable technology becomes mainstream across geographies and all sectors of the travel industry. In these early days there have been some hiccups: for example abandoned production of Google Glass, some technology working far less seamlessly than it was designed to do and some products and apps cumbersome to use in practice, but the sector is clearly here to stay.

Entering a travel terminal, beginning a journey to the end is set to become an increasingly autonomous experience thanks to wearables. Waving a watch or band at a sensor, triggering journey updates and often an instant interaction where seamless add-on sales become commonplace, will replace cumbersome queues and delays. With the help of these devices, travel will increasingly open up a whole new world of opportunities.