• by Aaron Baar , July 13, 2016

In the semi-emerging world of smartwatches and fitness bands, it helps to have a recognizable brand name. 

According to J.D. Power’s latest smartwatch and fitness band satisfaction reports, Apple tops the list in the former category, while Samsung leads the latter. Both brands, it’s worth noting, have sizable followings in other categories as well. 

“If you look at some of the top reasons [for customer satisfaction], brand reputation does come into it, as does the familiarity with these brands,” Kirk Parsons, senior director of the telecom, media & technology practice at JD Power, tells Marketing Daily.

Both reports measure overall satisfaction among consumers who have purchased the devices in the past 12 months. For both types of devices, ease-of-use was a top determining factor for satisfaction. (It was the most-important factor for smartwatches and the third most-important factor for fitness bands.) 

Overall, 19% of smartwatch users said they had experienced one or more problem with the devices (most commonly battery problems and difficulty customizing the devices), which led to a significant drop in overall satisfaction. Among fitness band consumers, ease-of-use was their top consideration factor when shopping for a device.

“If you look at the scores, it’s about the consistency of the experience,” Parsons says. “However, it is important that device manufacturers focus on offering a product that is reliable at a price that is perceived as good value based on its features. Those that do so early in the game may improve their opportunity to increase satisfaction, customer loyalty and repurchase intention.”

Apple and Samsung topped the smartwatch category with scores of 852 and 842, respectively, on a 1,000-point scale. In the fitness band category, Samsung and Garmin topped the list with scores of 859 and 836, respectively. 

The category, however, is still emerging, and the functionality of the next generation of smartwatches could shake things up, Parsons says. “People still rely on the smartphone for the smartwatch category,” he says. “We will see if they can use it as a stand-alone device. That’s where the category has to go.”