Smart Home Device Ownership Closing in on 50 Percent of Population

Smart Home Devices Market Analysis and Commentary

Almost half the population living in the US, UK, France and Germany now owns a smart home device, up from one-in-three a year ago, according to a comprehensive new consumer survey from Futuresource Consulting. The research, conducted in October 2019 with a nationally representative sample of nearly 4,000 consumers, explores ownership, satisfaction, motivations, barriers and perceptions.

The majority of growth is being driven by smart speaker ownership and smart security products. Whereas smart speakers are an entry point into the smart category, smart security is far more prevalent among advanced users, who tend to skew towards a male, younger, higher income and urban profile.

“Smart devices have captured consumers’ hearts,” says Jack Wetherill, Principal Consultant at Futuresource Consulting. “With 47% of the population now owning at least one smart device, the technology is moving swiftly through the adoption curve. Our research shows the number one motivator for purchase is to make life easier. Other high-ranking responses include making a home more comfortable, increasing security, improving efficiency and enabling control of devices while outside the home. What’s more, over 90% of device owners are either extremely satisfied or very satisfied with their purchases.”

The US, UK and France have all seen strong uptake over the last year, while the German market has remained relatively stable. Smart security ownership has nearly doubled, driven predominantly by the US market, with security cameras and video doorbells the most popular products. Smart speakers have witnessed similar growth, though this is focused mainly in the UK. Listening to music is still the main function of smart speakers, followed by weather reports and checking for traffic updates.

Smart appliances are also beginning to take hold, with 30% of people surveyed saying they own one. Ownership is highest in the US, driven by purchases of smart coffee machines, air conditioners, microwaves and toasters. For those who don’t already own a smart appliance, they are more likely to wait until their existing appliance breaks before they replace it.

“The future is smart,” says Wetherill. “With two out of every five people surveyed saying they want to control their home more wirelessly within the next year, there are exhilarating times ahead for the industry.”

Futuresource Consulting’s 86-page smart home consumer research report is the fifth consumer survey providing an insight into smart home devices and appliances. Small and major domestic appliances are covered, alongside lighting, climate control, speakers, and security and monitoring, as well as a range of other devices. The report is supplied with a detailed excel workbook that contains many thousands of datapoints enabling clients to interrogate the data according to their particular interests. For further information on this report, please contact Leon Morris via leon.morris@futuresource-hq.com

About the author

Jack Wetherill

With twenty years of research and consulting experience, Jack leads Futuresource Consulting’s Home Consumer Electronics team. Throughout his time at Futuresource, Jack has always been closely involved in the tracking and forecasting of the global market for home entertainment devices.

He currently drives Futuresource Consulting’s continuous reporting on TV, Vision, Audio, Smart Home and Major Appliances. A regular speaker at conferences, Jack closely monitors the migration from physical to digital content and the development of ecosystems that link devices with services.