Survey by reichelt elektronik sheds light on the European smart home market
This year, we all spent much more time within our own four walls. No surprise then that the smart home industry has continued to grow in 2020. Sales of smart home software and hardware across Europe reached the billions of euros this year, but what exactly are consumers spending their money on?
In a recent survey, reichelt elektronik asked consumers across Europe what they use smart home devices for and what manufacturers they are particularly satisfied with. The survey was conducted by international consumer research institute OnePoll in November 2020 and included 4,000 participants from Germany, Italy, France and the Netherlands.
Smart homes being used to stay entertained and comfortable
Multimedia devices are the most commonly used smart home hardware. With 57%, smart TVs, voice assistants, music systems and other similar products secure first place ahead of light controls (48%). After entertainment, Europeans are using their smart home devices most often to turn the lights off and on.
Only 40% of respondents say that they use their smart home devices to control their heating and energy use, and 43% use it for safety and security.
Price and compatibility driving product choice
The clear main reason for buying a particular smart home device is the price. 40% say that they have decided against buying a smart home product before because it was too expensive, while 23% say they decided not to buy a certain product because installation was too complicated.
Meanwhile, 30% said that they decided against certain products because they were not compatible with other devices they owned, and 14% said that smart home products they did not buy suffered from having an unappealing design.
Which brands come out on top?
As a manufacturer of electrical appliances with a long tradition, Philips is clearly ahead of the pack in the field of lighting control. 72% say they are happy with Philips and their products.
Furniture manufacturer Ikea, which has become a major player in the smart home market, is in second place. 60% of respondents are satisfied with the lighting controls from Ikea. Especially among a young target group up to 35, the products are popular in Scandinavian minimalist style, while Philips is well received in all age groups.
Established manufacturers are also popular in the multimedia sector. LG and Samsung both stand out with 69% satisfied customers each, followed by Sony (65%).
The survey also asked European consumers which voice assistants they used in their homes. The winner in terms of satisfaction was Google’s Assistant (73%) followed by Amazon’s Alexa (69%) and Apple’s Siri (61%).
European brands more popular in heating and climate control
While US and Asian brands dominated the smart home sector for lighting and multimedia, European brands were more dominant in the heating and climate control space. When asked about the heating and climate control brands they were most satisfied with, Homematic IP came out on top with 41% satisfied. They were closely followed by Netatmo and Taiwan’s EDIMAX with each 36% satisfaction.
Images: Adobe Stock, reichelt elektronik
