A new study from by accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers found that while 81% of consumers are aware of smart homes, only 26% of consumers actually want one, according to Dean Takahashi at Venture Beat. In a survey of 1,000 consumers, here is what the results showed:
There is a strong correlation between smart home device use and connectivity with an app. Seventy-four percent of respondents said they use their home device more frequently because it connects to their mobile device.
Consumers are willing to pay for smart devices that deliver cost savings, safety, security, and convenience.
Seventy-five percent of consumers are willing to pay more for enhanced security, such as being able to grant or deny access to your home remotely.
For women, convenience is a key feature. They view smart devices as another set of hands, and 60 percent would pay extra for personalized customer service.
As for non-users, price is the biggest barrier to entry. Forty-two percent of non-user survey respondents cited the cost of the devices as their biggest hesitation. In fact, 23 percent said they wouldn’t consider a smart home device, even down the road, because of cost.
About 24 percent were concerned about the security of smart home technology, and 23 percent were concerned about privacy of their data.
