At a time when the wearable fitness technology market has begun to take root in India, a home-grown startup Boltt is entering the fray with unique offerings that could propel it above the rest.
The wearable market in India observed a shipment of 2.5 million units in 2016. According to International Data Corporation (IDC), the traction that wearable devices market saw in India in 2016 would continue this year.
Globally, the wearable fitness technology market is estimated to hit $51.6 billion by 2022 and with the Indian market growing at a steady pace, Boltt is confident to soon create a niche space for itself.
Founded nearly two years ago by siblings Arnav Kishore and Aayushi Kishore who felt inspired to change the health and fitness ecosystem in the country, Noida-based Boltt aims to disrupt the existing industry that specialise only in sensors that track data.
"The real secret is not just tracking because the question today is no longer what to track or how to track but what to do once you have the data. With AI-based solutions, we aim to become a one-stop shop," Aayushi Kishore, Co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), Boltt, told IANS in an interview.
"We are a young passionate team that cares about health and fitness. The whole idea is to basically inspire people to become healthy," she added.
After two years of testing devices, the start-up on Tuesday is set to launch "smart" bands, attachable "Strider sensors" developed with global leader Garmin, "connected" shoes and an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled app "B" that gives users "actionable" insights from the data gathered.
The firm is offering personalised coaching in the form of voice or chat through its AI-enabled app. The voice coaching offers real-time, in-ear feedback during a workout while the chat-based mechanism allows a user to view a detailed history and analysis of his or her regimen.
"How the audio coaching works is that you connect to the Boltt sensors and go for a run, plug in earphones and there will be a digital assistant Siri like voice that will give you automated feedback. It's almost like having a fitness coach in your ear," Aayushi explained.
With more and more Indians willing to invest money and time on health than ever before, Boltt, with its affordable products (under Rs 10,000-mark), aims to tap into the price-sensitive market.
Not limiting itself to the traditional route of direct sales to end users, Boltt is also in strategic talks to align with big business houses to offer more specialised solutions to people.
"Our uniqueness is an all-encompassing platform with an intelligence layer on top that makes perfect use of the data gathered," Aayushi noted.
Boltt initially plans to enter the Indian, the US and European markets, expanding later to other regions.
(Tony Sebastian can be contacted at tonydominicsebastian@gmail.com)
--IANS
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