Business View - July 2015 15
really want – peace of mind. For the second year in
a row, our survey clearly shows that people are pre-
dominantly interested in the security benefits of smart
home technology, and once that box is checked, the
new and exciting smart home features and devices will
follow.”
Overall, consumers expressed the highest levels of
interest in having connected thermostats, cameras,
lights and door locks:
o Self-adjusting thermostat: 72%
o Doors that can be locked from a remote location:
71%
o Indoor lighting that automatically adjusts: 69%
o Outdoor lighting that automatically adjusts: 65%
o Home monitoring cameras: 65%
Additional findings include:
Definition around smart home shopping journey
• 42% of respondents report they would be most in-
clined to incorporate smart home technology into their
home when they are making renovations or upgrades,
followed next by when they buy a new home (26%) or
move (25%).
• 74% of consumers agree they would like at least
some help with the installation and set-up of their
smart home devices – and 52% said they would like
someone to do all of the installation and set-up for
them.
Which room is the heart of the smart home?
• 40% of North Americans listed their entertainment
room as the area of the home they are most excited
about connecting to their smart home, followed next
by their kitchen (39%) and their bedroom (34%).
Parents a key target market
• 85% of parents believe smart home devices are
more helpful than annoying (compared to 74% of over-
all population).
• In the next 12 months, those who identified them-
selves as a parent reported they were 66% more likely
to purchase a smart home hub, 65% more likely to
purchase smart home services and 54% more likely to
purchase a connected home monitoring camera com-
pared to the average consumer.
Elder care as an underutilized opportunity
• 50% of North Americans believe they would sleep
better at night if their parents or grandparents had
smart home technology, a number that is significantly
higher among those aged 25-34 (72%) and those who
identified themselves as a parent (74%).
Millennials excited about connected technology
• 79% of millennials aged 25-34 say they are excited
about the possibilities of incorporating smart home
features into their home (compared to 50% of overall
population).
• In the next 12 months, those aged 25-34 reported
they were 62% more likely to purchase a smart home
hub, 61% more likely to purchase smart home servic-
es, and 59% more likely to purchase connected light-
ing compared to the average consumer.
Geography matters
• Residents in the Northeast region expressed the
highest level of excitement about the possibilities of
the smart home. Uncoincidentally, this region also
reported the largest number of residents who knew
someone with a smart home, backing up one of the
report’s main findings that seeing is believing when it
comes to connected home technology.
• One in two Midwest residents mentioned their kitch-
en as the one room they were most excited about con-
necting to their smart home.
• Those in the South expressed the highest likelihood
among regions to be interested in the connected ther-
mostat (77%).
• Residents in the West were 100% more likely than
the U.S. population to list their sprinklers as the one
device they wished could read their mind and operate
themselves.
