The Middle East and Africa (MEA) wearables market rebounded in Q3 2020 thanks to an easing of the supply disruptions that had plagued the previous quarter.
The market recorded year-on-year unit growth of 15,8% in Q3 2020, while its value was up 33,9% over the same period.
This is according to the latest insights from International Data Corporation (IDC), with the firm’s recently updated Worldwide Quarterly Wearable Device Tracker showing that 3-million units worth $405,6-million were shipped to the region during the third quarter of the year.
“Covid-19 restrictions fueled demand during Q3 2020, with remote working and home-schooling policies pushing consumers to look for more compatible devices to ensure productivity,” says Nourhan Abdullah, a senior research analyst in IDC. “The need to be connected while limiting surrounding noise spurred significant growth in earwear devices, leading to double-digit growth rates for the region’s overall wearables market.”
While basic wristbands, the market’s dominant category, suffered a decline in Q3 2020, the second-largest category, earwear devices, saw shipments increase 54,8% year on year. Apple, Samsung, and JBL are the top three brands in the earwear devices category. It is worth noting that these top two categories — basic wristbands and earwear devices — accounted for 88,7% unit share of the region’s overall basic wearables market in Q3 2020.
The smart watch category also got back on track in Q3 2020, with shipments increasing 15,2% year on year, thanks to demand for features that help control infections by facilitating adherence to social-distancing guidelines. Samsung dominated the region’s smart watch space in Q3 2020 with 44,5% unit share, spurred by the launch of its new Galaxy Watch 3 series. Apple followed in second place, while Garmin ranked third.