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Thursday, March 28
The Indiana Daily Student

Wearable tech, iPhone 6 big for holiday season

From Google Glass to Fitbit, wearable tech is in.

A new survey out of the Kelley School of Business suggests wearable technology and the iPhone 6 will be the hottest selling items this holiday season, according to an IU news release.

“For the first time in three quarters, tech products have gained ground relative to the other categories we studied,” said John Talbott, director of research at the Kelley School of Business Center for Education in Retailing, in the release.

Talbott said in the release that this gain is because of the growing amount of wearable tech available and the popularity of gifting mobile devices.

The iPhone 6 is the thinnest iPhone produced to date, with a larger screen size than its predecessors, according to Apple’s ?website.

The iPhone 6 Plus is even bigger, with a screen size of 5.5 inches.

Talbott also said apparel sales would also rise but technology’s gains would be the greatest.

The iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus were released in September and Apple will soon release the Apple Watch, according to the University.

Competitors such as Samsung and Sony have been releasing a number of watches and other wearable technologies.

A survey of College Fashionista “style gurus” called the Fashion Innovation Index predicts that sales of apparel will rise by only two percent in the holiday season, according to the University.

“Our data indicates that the ‘style gurus’ are not as optimistic as they were during the first quarter,” Talbott said in the release. “Our index has trended downward for three consecutive quarters, which may indicate their concerns for broader economic headwinds in the first two quarters of next year.”

The “style gurus” surveyed were also ?pessimistic about the new products on the market this season.

The FI Index is gathered through a representative sampling of 600 of College Fashionista’s “style gurus,” according to the University.

The group is composed mostly of women who report on fashion trends at college campuses ?worldwide.

The index is a representative group of women who have a keen eye for trends and fashion.

Zara, Topshop and Free People have emerged as the favorite “style guru” brands for this season, according to the University.

Online commerce is continuing to gain ground through the holiday season, though physical stores remain the most important part of the retail sector, accounting for 80 percent of all sales, according to the University.

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