Opinion
kbb Birmingham 2018 Show Special
How to… develop the home of the future
Simon Gosling is a futurist for Unruly, the video ad tech company. Here, he tells us more about the Unruly Home and how KBB retailers can take advantage of growing opportunities in the connected-home sector
L
ast May, Unruly launched the Unruly Home, a beautiful 2,000-square-foot space at its new London HQ showing what the connected, cognified home of
2020 will look, hear, smell, taste, and feel like. It showcases actual and conceptual Internet of Things (IoT) gadgets - a market predicted to add £1.37 trillion to the global economy in 2019 – from a host of leading consumer brands and start-ups, including Siemens, Caesarstone, Amazon, Launchpad, Direct Line, eBay, Tesco, Dixons Carphone, The White Company and Nokia Health, as well as new media formats from News Corp. Given the kitchen has become the heart of the modern home, with the bedroom and bathroom not far behind, kbb retailers need to make sure they are switched on to the opportunities offered by the homes of the future. The average home’s level of technology is increasing exponentially, and there are plenty of themes and areas that will impact KBB retailers and designers. Just imagine a kitchen ordering food for you and telling you what to cook based on the ingredients left in your fridge, or a bedroom tracking your sleep and helping you choose a weather-appropriate outfit. Emerging tech such as holograms, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR) will become the standard within the next 20 years, as will connected appliances – but there is so much more to the smart home of the future, and
Unruly Home kitchen
you can’t disconnect wellbeing and interior design. Our research shows homes need to be cosy, comfortable spaces, where tech disappears into the background and assists us. Future homes will avoid clutter and only have useful and beautiful things, to create Instagram- able moments. So for KBB retailers and designers, discreetly incorporating interconnectivity will be key.
Opportunities
If KBB retailers were to ask me what they should be doing to make the most of the connected home market, I would say align yourselves with tech-savvy brands investing in understanding the homes of the future. Those manufacturers whose advertising stresses the benefits that connected products bring to the home will succeed. However, given the desire to hide tech away, it is also important to align yourselves with brands attuned to the interior design and lifestyle needs of the future home. The Unruly Home has beautiful furniture, clothing, and kitchenware from The White Company, the timeless appeal and durability of the finest Caesarstone natural quartz kitchen work surfaces, a Click & Grow ‘indoor farm’ for growing herbs, salad, fruit and flowers, and even the Heineken Sub to pour perfect pints at home. Brands passionate about the consumer experience and keen to understand the value they can bring into their homes will be the ones to make the most of this opportunity for themselves and you, their trade customers. I would also say that KBB retailers should start to take an interest in voice-activated products and services NOW. By 2020, 50% of all internet searches will be done by voice without a screen. The Unruly Home’s kitchen features voice-activated appliances; for example, we can order food directly from our Samsung Family Hub Fridge, use Alexa to ask
Taste.com.au to suggest recipes based on a list of certain ingredients which our fridge reminds us have reached their best before date, take us through the cooking process, and use voice commands to control our
86 kbbreview kbb Birmingham Special Edition March 2018 Unruly Home dining room
Bosch/Siemens Home Connect appliances. In addition, I am a great believer in good manners. I have made sure you have to say “please” to switch on devices such as our Smarter ikettle or Siemens coffee maker. Being respectful when asking for things is important, even when talking to robots! When it comes to selling the benefits of automation
and smart appliances, seeing is believing. Transform your showroom into a kitchen or bathroom of the future so your customers can see for themselves just what can be achieved with emerging tech. Take advantage of training from brands already embracing the IoT. Come and visit Unruly Home for inspiration – and bring your design teams. Many people have already experienced the convenience voice activation and AI have brought to their cars, and are now wishing their homes were as efficient. This is paving the way towards the uptake of this tech within their homes. Retailers who can capture the early adopters will have a head start. Creating a showroom where consumers can experience the spine-tingling excitement of a beautiful smart kitchen will keep you one step ahead as we move firmly into the connected age.
• Simon Gosling will be speaking at the kbbreview Retail & Design Conference, see pages 8-9 for the full programme
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