PRODUCT FEATURE | Connected living LIFE Despite the well
documented rise of ‘smart’ products, many kitchen and bathroom retailers still don’t really know where to start in bringing everything together to create a connected-home solution. We take a look at some of the latest products and ask how KBB retailers can best capitalise on this lucrative sector. Francesca Seden reports
F
rom an increase in home working to a renewed appreciation of our homes
and the green space around them, the Covid-19 pandemic has had many lasting impacts for the UK population. Perhaps the most significant shift though, has been an acceleration in the adoption of digital and smart technology at a much faster pace than we might have otherwise expected. And this is reflected in market trends. The smart kitchen appliances market was valued at $13.8 million (£11.,9m) in 2020 and is projected to reach $47.1m by 2028; with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.4% from 2020 to 2028. The global smart bathroom market was valued at $ 8.3 billion in 2021. It is
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estimated to grow at a CAGR of 10.3% from 2022 to 2031. This sector is expected to exceed a value of $21.9bn by the end of 2031. According to a 2019 survey of 2,000 UK adults by Smart Home Week – a non-profit industry campaign designed to inform and educate UK consumers about the benefits connected living – 57% of homes have some sort of smart device to control appliances such as the lights, security, kettle or vacuum cleaner.
It found that more than four in 10 adults use smart technology to work the television, while a further one in three often control their music with a gadget. And while the majority of smart home owners use their tech while inside the property, more than one in six use the smart tech remotely – to
The new Gira surface-mounted video home station 7 combines living comfort with security
set the heating or put on the kettle before returning home – daily. In addition, 45% of those polled by Smart Home Week in 2019 said they had every intention of making their home even smarter, with half of adults believing this will save them time and money in the long run. Interestingly, according to Smart Home Week, the top five most-desired smart home products include those which are sold by kitchen and bathroom retailers – such as a WC with self-cleaning functionality and an oven which can cook at different temperatures simultaneously. If Smart Home Week’s data was correct in 2019, we can probably assume that adoption now is higher than that 57%, and this is potentially good news for tech-savvy kitchen and
bathroom retailers as there is clearly a growing appetite for smart and connected KBB products.
So, what sorts of features and functionality are most popular among consumers and how can retailers best capitalise on this market? With the cost-of-living crisis affecting so many families and energy bills rocketing, any functionality which helps consumers monitor energy and water usage in order to save resources and money on bills should be an easy sell. For example, smart thermostats brands like Tado, Honeywell and Hive are increasingly popular because they can help save money, while using their smart technology to create heating programmes based on the activity of the inhabitants.
Many of the latest thermostats also · October 2022
CONNECTED
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