Taiwan market: Epson crosses into wearable market, targeting mainly mid-range and high-end

Optimistic about wearable device demand, Epson established a department specifically to handle healthcare and sport sensor product development in 2013 and later reorganized the department to become a wearable business unit in December 2015.
Epson has been developing smart bracelets and smartwatches using its experience from manufacturing own-brand Seiko watches. Epson plans to mainly target the mid-range and high-end segments, hoping to differentiate itself from competitors with its precise sensor technologies and strong channels in Taiwan.
Currently, Taiwan’s monthly demand for wearable devices is about 6,500-8,000 units. Epson’s competitors are Apple, Samsung Electronics and Xiaomi. Because of its pricing advantage, Xiaomi has achieved rather strong sales performance in Taiwan.
Epson recently launched four wearable devices in Taiwan targeting different market segments. Epson also has products to measure golf players’ swing and is seeing stable sales in Taiwan. In addition to products that measure heart rate for running, Epson also recently started developing wearable devices for mountain climbing.