Safety and comfort are the primary reasons people buy smart home technology products like Amazon Echo and Google Home.
A new study was conducted in the United States by Scripps Networks Interactive, specialized in lifestyle media. The research findings will be presented at CES 2017 and at Design and Construction Week 2017.
Overall, consumers are interested in improving their homes and quality of life through the addition of technology, citing safety, comfort, efficiency, value and convenience as desired results. The study uncovered the following new information:
Safety and comfort drive tech purchases, not ego or “keeping up with the Joneses.”
- Three-quarters of respondents attributed their purchase motivation to the desire to keep their family safe and comfortable, while only 18 percent attributed it to the desire to meet others’ expectations.
- Nearly 68 percent of respondents cited energy efficiency as a driving factor enticing them to add technology, in order to see a tangible pay-off in dollars saved, to add resale value to their home, and to comply with social pressure to be Earth friendly.
- Millennials want to make their home “convenient for daily tasks;” Generation Xers want to make their home “a healthy environment;” and Baby Boomers wish to “add value” to their home.
- Read more: How Smart Homes Make Life Easier
The kitchen is the No. 1 spot in the home to add technology.
- A quarter of all homeowners surveyed named the kitchen as the top spot in the home to add smart tech. Respondents listed top options as smart refrigerators, connected and app-enabled appliances, voice-activated wireless speakers and motion sensor lighting.
- Gen Xers led this kitchen-friendly group at 28 percent, while 27 percent of Millennials and 23 percent of Boomers listed the kitchen as top priority.
- The front door or entryway is the next most desired place for adding technology (15 percent), while the living room comes in third (13 percent).
- Read more: Amazon Echo 60,000 Recipes Talk
Energy monitoring and light automation are consumers’ most desired smart home projects.
- While only 11 percent of homeowners surveyed have firm plans to purchase energy monitoring and light automation technology for their home, nearly 44 percent of respondents listed these items as tools they’d most like to add.
- Mobile device-operated or computer-controlled home systems, a doorbell camera and surveillance equipment also topped the homeowner wish list.
- A third or more of the respondents want to add home audio automation, HVAC automation, motion lights and a security system to their home.
Finding a trustworthy consultant to help with smart home purchases is an extremely important part of the consumer journey.
- As homeowners consider smart home technology, more than half said they want to find a professional to help them make the right decisions.
- In the process of adding smart home tech, homeowners also expressed importance in professional installation and education, having product demonstrations and trial periods of use.
- While expense is the top barrier to purchase, respondents also cited tech phobia and an overwhelming number of choices as other deterrents.
Millennials, followed closely by Gen Xers, are the most likely to add smart home technology to their home.
- 85 percent of Millennials indicated they are likely to add smart home technology to their home, more than half within the next year.
- 73 percent of Gen Xers are likely to add smart home technology, 38 percent within the next year.
- 67 percent of Boomers are likely to add smart home technology, 28 percent within the next year.
