It’s that time of the year again – the time for ugly sweaters, hot cocoa… and holiday shopping!
According to Deloitte research, 60% of the Holiday consumers start shopping for Christmas gifts before Thanksgiving (probably, trying to snatch the best Black Friday deals). Yet, 40% of Holiday shoppers might still be on the hunt for their perfect presents. This means you have a good chance of getting your product placed under their Christmas trees.
However, just like the demand for IoT products, the competition among businesses has been growing.
To stay ahead of the pack, you should know exactly what’s on the market. For example, what are the most wanted IoT devices for Christmas gift-giving? This will help you understand how you can get on the list too.
So, here’s some inspiration for you: 13 popular Christmas IoT gift ideas (and some tips on how to build one).
13 IoT devices (and app ideas) for a Christmas wishlist
There are tons of amazing tech gift ideas for Christmas: from NFC wearables and health trackers, to automotive apps and devices, or smart home solutions.
To save your time on research, here are some of the top picks among the tech gift ideas for Christmas (with examples).
1. IoT Christmas gift ideas for her
- Smart jewelry for women
Ringly is a brand of stylish smart jewelry (rings and bracelets) for women. The devices double as an activity tracker, can duplicate alerts from your phone, and offer guided audio meditations and breathing exercises.
- Healthcare IoT trackers
Ava is a wearable cycle/fertility/pregnancy tracker. It’s also great for monitoring other healthcare data, such as sleep, stress levels, and heart rate.
- IoT devices to keep her safe
Athena is a personal safety device which pairs with the ROAR app. A GPS tag is used to share your location with the contacts of your choice, and can produce a 95+ decibel sound in case of danger.
2. IoT Christmas gift ideas for him
- Devices and apps for car enthusiasts
Dash is an automotive IoT app that connects to your car using a Bluetooth-enabled OBD device. As a result, you get direct access to your car data in real time, can log and track your trips, and get timely maintenance notifications.
- Stylish wearables
Motiv is a smart ring with built-in activity and sleep tracking features. The device also provides an extra level of security by allowing you to use a 2-Step Verification procedure, and by tracking your movement with its patented WalkID technology to verify your identity.
- Sports gear
Beeline is a smart navigation device for cyclists. You can simply attach the device to your bike, set up a route in the app, and follow the directions on the device to stay on track. There’s also a version for motorcycles available for preorder.
3. Tech Christmas gifts for the whole family
- Smart home solutions
Probably one of the most popular smart home devices, Nest, is a smart thermostat that learns about your preferences and can automatically adjust temperature at home (as well as save energy).
- Security IoT devices
Ring is an ultimate home security solution. It’s an audio/video surveillance system consisting of a smart doorbell and security cameras.
- Smart gardening systems
GreenIQ is an intelligent irrigation system for your garden. By using the GreenIQ Smart Garden hub, you can connect the app to your sprinkler system and even control it remotely. You can choose to manage the system manually or use its WeatherIQ™ smart algorithm to automate the whole process.
Read more: Smart Agriculture: 5 Use Cases for IoT (and 4 Challenges to Consider)
4. Christmas gadgets for your colleagues and business partners
- Smart office supplies
Neo smartpen can make a perfect present for a business partner or even your boss. The pen records every stroke and every movement, digitizing your notes as you write. You can then edit your notes using the app or share them via email.
- A little something for everyone
Tile is a Bluetooth-enabled tracking device. It’s a small tag you can attach to your keys, phone, remote, etc. allowing you to easily find them at any time. You simply call the tag which had been attached to the lost or misplaced item using the app.
5. Christmas IoT gifts for your furry friends
- Fitness trackers and GPS tags
Pawscout is a wearable health monitor and activity tracker for dogs. Plus, there’s a built-in GPS module to help you easily find your pet and stay aware of its location.
Read also: A Go-to-Market Guide for Building an Internet of Things Application for Pet Care
Now, with so many Christmas gift ideas to choose from, some people lack the festive mood. They can watch Home Alone (again), enjoy a cup of eggnog… or get some more Christmas gadgets for themselves.
For example, Twinkly, completely customizable smart lights, are a great way to brighten up your holidays. Creating a smart lighting solution seems like a safe bet, and caters well to the needs of your audience during the Holiday season.
While there are dozens of amazing tech gadgets for Christmas gift-giving, there are even more noteworthy Christmas apps.
Here are some examples:
- Christmas countdown – a simple and fun app for those who count away the days till Christmas.
- The Christmas List – a handy gift list app to plan your holiday shopping.
- Santa’s Secret Keeper – the best way to organize the Secret Santa gift exchange.
To top it off, there are Christmas-themed games (actually, lots of them) and even AR apps.
Yet, there’s always room for innovation. So, if you have an idea you want to implement, let us share some tips to set you on the right path.
How to develop an IoT app: Pro tips and things to consider
IoT development is a tough challenge: it requires both hardware and software which makes it twice as difficult. However, an understanding of the process and professional support from a reliable development team can increase your chances of success.
Here’s what you need to consider when building an IoT app:
- Find a niche market. Trying to satisfy everyone is never a good idea. Start small, pick a small niche, and choose a single need you can surely satisfy.
- Identify your target users (as well as competitors). This will give you an understanding of what your audience needs and how to stand out among the existing products.
- Draft the app’s/device’s functionality and choose your tech stack. Based on the above-mentioned data, think of some ways to satisfy your audiences’ needs. What does your product need to do? How can that be achieved (both in terms of functionality and the technology stack)?
At this point, you should have already found a CTO or dedicated engineering team to help you out with the technical side of the development process.
- Make data security your top priority. IoT devices rely heavily on user data: they collect, process, and store various types of information, including sensitive data. To avoid problems with the law and not to discredit your brand later, make sure data security lies at the heart of your product.
- Deliver a personalized experience. By using the data at hand effectively, you have an unlimited number of opportunities to tailor your product to the customer’s needs and preferences. For example, you can offer personal advice or deliver targeted content based on the user’s behavior or available contextual information.
Read also: Fresh app personalization ideas for a great user experience
- Be there for your users. Once your product launches, go above and beyond to make sure your users are happy with it. First of all, offer convenient user support channels, e.g. phone, email, social media, or an in-app chat. Automating part of your offered support is a wise decision, so consider using a chatbot to resolve simple problems or to answer users’ questions 24/7.
- Never stop improving. As soon as your product stops evolving and improving, it will slowly start dying. Nothing is perfect, so you can always find something to polish up or add to your product.
Last but not least, make sure to promote your product. Marketing plays a significant role in the success of your product: let people know about it, show and tell them how great it is, make them want to buy it, etc.
A new year, a new challenge?
As the year is coming to an end, it’s time to make plans for the year to come.
So, if you were considering IoT product development, it might be perfect timing. The market is flourishing, yet, there’s still room for innovation.
How to get started?
The product discovery phase is the best first step you can take to lay a solid foundation for the development of your app. It includes a functional specification, UX/UI design, and a visual prototype that will give you a clear vision of the end product. On average, this phase takes 4-6 weeks.
The product discovery phase can help you:
- define a full scope of work and develop a roadmap for the project
- set a realistic budget for your MVP and plan your resources
- test the waters with your audience using a visual prototype
- craft a convincing investment pitch
- get to know your team
Contact us now to receive professional advice and to discuss your opportunities with one of our senior project managers.
And, who knows, maybe next year your product will top Christmas wish-lists all over the world?
Read also:
- How to Create a Great User Experience: Fresh App Personalization Ideas for any Industry
- Test Before You Develop: Why Should You Choose Rapid App Prototyping Prior to Building Your MVP?
- 5 Essential Post-Launch MVP Activities for Your App
- How to Monetize an App: A comprehensive guide to the best app monetization strategies