Making Smart Home Tech Is Key for Mass-Market Adoption

The early adoption phase of smart home tech is well underway, but breaking into the mass-market is proving not to be quite so easy for mainstream retailers. An article in dealerscope.com points out that working out how to make smart home tech more approachable for consumers is vital if there is to be mass-market adoption.

While devices such as Google Home and Amazon’s Alexa have helped attract more buyers, products that require behavioral change, where consumers need to think or do something in a new way will not be so instantly popular. Most consumers are looking for something that will blend into the background and which will work almost automatically. They are looking for ease-of-use rather than having to change habits.

The article outlines four consumer concerns regarding smart home tech, the first of which is complexity. It feels brands need to provide and promote products that are easy to use and simple to set up. A lot of people will struggle to set up and install and to configure multiple features. Many find smart devices a little intimidating and the article suggests that retailers should make it clear how easy it is to operate the device straight out of the box.

Value is another concern with pricing for the mass-market proving to be around or less than $100. Big-name brands all cost more than that and consumers are questioning the quality of lesser-known brands that are more sharply priced. Retailers need to make sure consumers understand the balance between value and technology.

We’ve all heard horror stories about the security of smart devices and consumers fully expect that someone else will take care of this problem. However, there is no governing body that requires security protocols to prevent this kind of intrusion and it is essential for manufacturers to ensure security is designed as part of the product right from the start of the process rather than being included as an afterthought.

Many smart home products are stand-alone devices that come with their own security, operating system, and mobile app. Offering devices that can be fully integrated and which are compatible helps retailers to be more competitive.