Consumers are looking for wearables that can make everyday life smoother or easier, with 36 per cent of UK smartphone users identifying this as the primary need they would want a wearable to help with.

More specifically, 31 per cent are interested in wearables that enable them to order goods in advance, 38 per cent in wearables that interacted with smart home ecosystems, and 29 per cent want wearables that can open car doors.

The figures comes from new research from Mindshare and Goldsmiths University of London, aimed at understanding the key consumer motivations for wearable technologies and the opportunities they present for brands and advertisers.

Reflection, or the use of wearables data to improve users lives physically or emotionally, was the second most popular need, with 35 per cent of those surveyed identifying it. 76 per cent of current fitness tracker users feel the devices have improved their lives, and 50 per cent of smartphone users are interested in wearables that can analyse and manage sleep patterns.

“The marketing world was slow to appreciate the significance of the shift from desktop to mobile,” said Jeremy Pounder, UK research director at Mindshare. “We dont want to make the same mistake with the rise of wearables and the internet of things.

“As wearables start to connect individuals physically to the web, our research shows there will be huge communications opportunities for brands in terms of new, more personalised advertising models, brand utility and brand experiences fuelled by wearables. Now is the time for experimentation and were already applying these insights for our clients communications this summer.”