BUSAN — Smart rings, ultra-compact wearable health devices that are far less cumbersome to wear than other gadgets, are growing rapidly, and Lotte Department Store's main Busan branch has secured the first pop-up store in the Yeongnam region for the global market leader as it moves to capture wellness demand.
The Busan branch said on the 22nd that it will open a pop-up store for Oura, a Finnish health intelligence brand that leads the global smart ring market, in line with the fast-growing wellness trend.
Growth in the wearables market has cooled for smartwatches while finger-worn smart rings have emerged as a new driver. Precise data tracking through tiny sensors, AI-based personalized health analysis, and minimal designs that are comfortable even during sleep — along with a trend toward treating the devices as accessories — are behind the rapid growth.
Oura has built a global user base by combining precise health data tracking with aesthetic design, based on its own technology. At the Busan pop-up, the company will showcase the Oura Ring 5, a new model that is significantly thinner and lighter and comes in a new range of colors, in a space where visitors can try on the product and test its technology firsthand.
The department store said it aims to use the pop-up to get ahead of local demand for premium smart healthcare devices.
"As interest in health management rises, demand is surging for smart rings that offer both technology and design," said Han Jung-hee, head of Lotte Department Store's lifestyle division. "Through this pop-up, we want to offer customers a wellness lifestyle that is a step ahead."