Research: 29% US own smart speaker & smart home device
May 28, 2020
Parks Associates research finds that smart speakers are serving as a gateway to smart home adoption, as 16 per cent of US broadband households purchased a smart speaker prior to purchasing a smart home device.
Of the 29 per cent of US broadband households that own both a speaker and a smart home device, nearly three-fourths said ownership of the speaker motivated them to purchase a smart home device.
“Smart speakers can present strong use cases for smart home devices to the consumer,” said Brad Russell, Research Director, Connected Home, Parks Associates. “By bundling smart speakers with smart plugs, smart light bulbs, or smart thermostats, companies can deliver a guided introduction to the smart home experience. This combo also helps facilitate support for self-installation, which is becoming significantly more important following the Covid-19 outbreak.”
Parks Associates notes that between 69 per cent and 78 per cent of all smart security and safety devices bought in 2019 were self-installed, representing a significant increase from 2018. For example, 77 per cent of networked camera owners self-installed this product in 2019, compared to 68 per cent in 2018.
“The self-installation trend enables direct-to-consumer online sales for retailers and service providers alike without the cost or challenges of a Covid-19 service call,” Russell said. “Prior to the outbreak, the main trigger for a smart home purchase was the consumer experience of seeing the product in a store or online. With so much shopping now shifting online, having these self-install options is even more important to trigger sales, and with a smart speaker, companies can deliver support through do-it-with-me or do-it-together services that utilize real-time chat.”