In a new survey commissioned by members of the Internet of Things Consortium (IoTC) and conducted by International Data Corporation (IDC), nearly two thirds of respondents said they are "moderately or extremely interested" in adopting new smart home solutions.
Of those consumers, 71% said that word-of-mouth referrals and recommendations made by retail store employees are most likely to influence their smart home purchasing.
The findings from the smart home research, which was sponsored by IoTC members Greenwave Systems, August GK digital Media, and NXP Semiconductors, offer mixed results for service providers. While growing interest from consumers is a positive, the survey of roughly 1,000 adult American consumers suggests that retailers -- not service providers -- play a significant role in purchasing decisions. Fifty-four percent of respondents said that word-of-mouth is their top source of information for smart home purchases, while 43% reported that in-store retail employees are second on the list.
Among the other results of the survey:
Interestingly, more than a third of survey respondents said they would be open to commercial advertising on connected home devices if it would help bring down the cost of products and services.
In another twist, "nearly a quarter" of consumers surveyed said they would only consider a smart home solution if it could be controlled with a smartphone. That could create an inroad for wireless carriers, though how much of one remains to be seen.
Another 37% of respondents said they would like a smart home solution to include capabilities for transferring TV shows and other media across devices -- a somewhat tepid response given the pay-TV industry's marketing of multiscreen services. An equal percentage said they'd like to be able to use voice controls with their home appliances.
For more on this topic:
- Echostar Preps 'Sage' Smart Home
- IoT Alert: Samsung Snaps Up SmartThings
- Apple Joins Home Automation Wars
- GreenWave Crashes Smart Homes
— Mari Silbey, special to Light Reading
I also note that one of the key driving interests is entertainment. So customers have to want and/or see the benefit in order to move forward or really make smart homes the norm.