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“There isn’t an automatic plug and play solution at the moment, and I believe that one of the big things that will start coming out is the better integration of different products.” Stuart Tickle, Managing Director of AWE
in September 2018, and we can expect to see more of these devices at home-technology exhibitions in the year ahead.”
Mr Nimmons says that many consumers
are buying into the smart home by stealth. For example, they purchase a voice-activated smart speaker and then decide to use it to control smart lighting or heating, but this is only the tip of the iceberg — a gateway into the smart home. “There are so many more advanced devices and services out there which can offer even more consumer benefits,” he continues, “but retailers will require specialist expertise and knowledge to understand and to install these. They will need to know how products and services will work with each other as part of a connected home network. “With the rapid growth of connected products
and services only set to continue in the years ahead – according to a survey by consultancy firm, EY, 59 per cent of UK households are expected to own a smart-home device by 2022 – independents need to make sure that they’re getting involved and are outsmarting their competition on the high street.”
Shining a light on the security market The growth of home security devices during 2018 is set to continue into this year, with ease of installation a key driver. Growth in this category has more than doubled year-on-year. Aligned to security devices, there has been significant growth in the smart doorbell devices. With more vendors entering the market, there are brands and products for all consumer budgets.
In addition, the smart lighting category has
also doubled in value year-on-year, reports Liam La Cumbre, commercial director at Exertis, with many new brands and innovation driving demand. “Over the last year, voice activation has helped to stimulate the market, and this will continue,” he says. “2019 growth of devices like security and thermostats will be underpinned by voice activated assistance from Google, Amazon and Premium Hi-Fi, and TV brands as enablers of activation. The focus has to be on ease of installation for the consumer. “With many brands providing a broad eco system with connectivity to voice controlled devices across many product categories and price points, this presents a good opportunity for retailers. Whilst some products can be classed as DIY and installed easily by the homeowners, others need the help of professional installers or local retailers. The majority of consumers would prefer a pain-free set-up, therefore, those retailers that can offer that service are most likely to get repeat business as the homeowner builds a more enhanced connected home system. “The in-store experience is vitally important.
Setting up a smart tech sales environment – and providing easy to follow messaging about the benefits and how it’s possible to build an integrated and connected home – will generate sales.”
Education, education, education When it comes to the plethora of smart device options currently available on the market, integration and consumer education are essential. The latter is becoming more of a responsibility of the retailers that offer these solutions – in conjunction with the manufacturers themselves.
Stuart Tickle, Managing Director
of AWE Europe, says that each connected device has its own benefits but we are not seeing what goes on “behind the scenes” and how these devices can truly work together. “There isn’t an automatic plug and play solution at the moment, and I believe that one of the big things that will start coming out is the better integration of different products. It’s already starting to happen on a brand-by-brand basis but Amazon, Google and Samsung will start to have more,” Mr Tickle says.
“The TV adverts for these things make them
look great, but the knowledge of the consumer figuring out the tasks to make them work with other compatible products is not as easy as it seems. You’re always going to get new heating and lighting control devices, for example, but the big change that needs to happen is that consumers need educating on the integration of all smart products so they work together.”
In order to start selling smart solutions, Mr
Tickle believes the responsibility lies at the door of the business owner or manager to have scoped out the market effectively and researched the specific areas they want to move in to. This involves taking on training or attending courses to understand the relevance of selling the smart home and gaining enough information to make important decisions. “The biggest area in my opinion is not giving
it sufficient time to investigate and anyone who is thinking ‘I can’t make enough money out of brown goods’, their next thought should be ‘can I make money?’ and if so, ‘how?’.
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