While 2015 has been slow to bring smart home technology to the fore, consumer perceptions are changing. Early adopters of security, appliance and environmental smart home systems are starting to provide valuable evidence-based reviews on the benefits of investing in these systems. Consumers are looking for systems which can assist in everyday living, simplify their lives and provide a safer home environment. Systems which are cost-effective, adaptable and user friendly are essential. In addition, they must also provide contextual learning, remote app control and in the case of environment/appliance smart some systems, voice control. Almost all consumers included in this study are interested in smart home technology because they want their home to be more convenient for everyday life. Wanting the ability to monitor activity away from home, having the latest and greatest technology and wanting to know kids/pets activities while away from home, are also strong drivers of interest.
Table of Contents
1. Executive Summary
2. Introduction
3. Interest in Smart Home Technology
4. Purchase Decision
4.1 Current Interests – Intenders
4.2 Devices Owned – Owners
4.3 Purchasing Priorities – Intenders
4.4 Purchasing Priorities – Owners
5. DIY vs. Outsourced vs. Hybrid
6. Installation & Setup
7. Learning How to Use the Device/System
7.1 Intenders
7.2 Owners
8. Control & Interaction
8.1 App
8.1.1 Intenders
8.1.2 Owners
8.2 Devices
8.3 Smart Hubs
9. Usage
9.1 Intenders – Location and Frequency of Use
9.2 Owners – Location and Frequency of Use
10. Experiences & Satisfaction
10.1 Intenders – Features Desired
10.2 Owners – Features Used
10.3 Owners – Ease of Use
10.4 Owners – Physical Design
10.5 Owners – Overall Satisfaction
11. Concerns
12. Future Purchases
13. Desired Use Cases
13.1 Security Smart Home Devices
13.2 Environment/Appliance Smart Home Devices
14. The Ultimate Smart Home
14.1 Intenders
14.2 Owners
15. Conclusion
16. Analyst Contacts
17. Appendix: Participant Profiles (In-home Interviews & Focus Groups)