One fifth of Brits “willing to invest in a connected home”
Nearly one in five Brits would like smart devices installed in their home according to new research – with half of survey respondents citing the perceived improvement in their quality of life as the biggest deciding factor in their purchase decision.
The research, undertaken by the Gekko Group, also reveals that in face of figures showing that 25-30% of the UK are still without fast broadband coverage, 31% of people would be willing to pay an extra 0.5% on an average priced home if it was fitted with fast broadband to allow the installation of smart devices.
Smart thermostats to control a home’s heating are the most popular devices with 44% of those interviewed keen to invest. This followed closely by lighting control systems (40%) and smart TVs (36%).
On average, of those interviewed, Brits would be willing to spend an extra £60 for a device with smart technology, while nearly one in five (18%) would be happy to spend over £150 on a connected gadget.
Just over a third of people (38%) cite third party endorsements – whether through word of mouth or in-store advice – as the most important factor when researching a product in relation to the connected home.
With a further 28 per cent of those interviewed claiming the brand is the deciding factor, the report’s authors said it is evident that brands need to be thinking about the “in-store education experience”.
This is compounded, Gekko said, by the fact that almost a quarter of Brits are “concerned with the complexity” of setting up smart devices and a further 39% concerned that smart devices are too intrusive and/or are worried that their data will be collected and used inappropriately.
“Our research highlights that there is a strong appetite amongst consumers for owning smart devices, and yet many need education on their use and set-up,” said Daniel Todaro, managing director, Gekko Group.
“With human interaction and face-to-face communication still hugely important in the purchasing journey, brands need to capitalise on this by developing their in-store strategies with specially trained in-store brand ambassadors.
“The ultimate winners of the connected home will come down to those who can provide a balance of security and privacy, whilst being reasonably priced with useful functionality.”