Kitchen & Bath Business - January 2017 - 26

Industry Viewpoint

Talking
Technology

Which of the following
smart home appliances/
electronics do you
CURRENTLY own?
Audio Speaker (e.g.,
bluetooth speaker)
47%
Thermostat
31%
Lighting (e.g., lamps,
light bulbs)
27%
Bathroom Scale
14%
Outlet Plugs
13%
Voice-Enabled Assistant/
Agent (e.g., Alexa)
13%
Refrigerator
11%
Slow Cooker/Crock Pot 11%
Doorbell
10%
Washing Machine/Dryer 9%
Door Lock
9%
Garage Door Opener
9%
Fire/Carbon Monoxide
Alarms
8%
Range/Oven
7%
Toilet
5%
Dishwasher
3%
None of the Above
5%

To w h a t l e v e l a r e h o m e o w n e r s
integrating this in their
kitchens and baths?

T

HERE'S NO SHORTAGE OF

over
the Internet of Things
(IoT), the seemingly
inevitable convergence
of Internet connectivity with everyday items
like lamps, electrical
plugs, audio speakers and even vehicles. But will
we ever look back and say the IoT truly revolutionized the American kitchen and bathroom?
It seems like a reasonable prediction. After all,
the kitchen and bathroom are perhaps the two
most active rooms in the house. If any rooms are
due a little IoT optimization, the kitchen and
bathroom feel like solid candidates.
SURVEY SAYS...

Mobile research firm Field Agent recently investigated the matter. Surveying more than 500
U.S. adults, split evenly between men and women,
Field Agent discovered that while "smart"kitchen
and bathroom tech hasn't won a large consumer
base yet, many out there are eager to modernize
their living spaces with one or more WiFi-enabled
appliances or electronics.
"Just how deep and wide the IoT will penetrate
the U.S. household is still a question mark," said
Rick West, CEO and co-founder of Field Agent.
"But our studies suggest consumers find the idea
of a 'smart' household very appealing."

FIELD AGENT'S report on
Home Improvement in the
Digital Age, based on surveys
with almost 2,000 homeowners, is now available for free
download at
http://info.fieldagent.net/kbb

26

None of the Above

Bathroom

Dining Room

Garage

Patio/Deck/Yard

Man Cave

Bedroom

n=510 sampled

88%
77%
73%
54%
49%
45%
31%
27%
1%

Kitchen

Living Room
Kitchen
Bedroom
"Man Cave"
Patio/Deck/Yard
Garage
Dining Room
Bathroom
None of the above

Living Room

Which of these rooms in a
typical home would you
consider good places to
locate and use one or more
smart home appliances/
electronics?

None

Dishwasher

Toilet

Range/Oven

Fire/Carbon Monoxide Alarms

Garage Door Opener

Door Lock

Washing Machine/Dryer

Doorbell

Slow Cooker/Crock Pot

Refrigerator

Voice-enabled Assistant/Agent

Outlet Plugs

Bathroom Scale

Lighting

Thermostat

Audio Speaker

BUZZ THESE DAYS

*n = 152 (those who currently
own at least one smart HOME
appliance/electronic)

According to Field Agent's most recent survey, part of its larger "Home
Improvement in the Digital Age" campaign, only 30 percent currently own
smart tech for the home. Of these (n = 152*), kitchen- and bathroom-specific
IoT weren't exactly prevalent. For instance, only 14 percent own "connected"
bathroom scales, 11 percent refrigerators, 11 percent slow cookers, seven
percent ranges/ovens and three percent dishwashers.
However, of those who don't presently own a WiFi-connective home
appliance or electronic, a whopping 81 percent said they plan to own one
someday - specifically for use in the kitchen and/or bathroom. Among
those who either currently own smart home appliances/electronics or plan
to some day (n = 444 sampled), 66 percent are drawn to them primarily for
their convenience, while 29 percent say it's their safety, and five percent say
its their stylishness they most like.
SPECIFIC K&B TECH TRENDS

Where inside the home does the IoT belong? Field Agent asked its full sample of 510 which rooms they consider "good" places - i.e., where they could
derive benefit - to locate and use smart home appliances and electronics.
Seventy-seven percent felt WiFi-enabled tech belongs in the kitchen, just
behind the first-place finisher: the living room (88 percent). The bathroom
didn't fare nearly as well, as only 27 percent view the bathroom as a place
particularly well suited for the IoT.
The sample identified lighting (59 percent; e.g., lamps, light bulbs), refrigerators (51 percent), fire/carbon monoxide alarms (42 percent) and ranges/
ovens (37 percent) as the most appealing smart products - i.e., that would
most enhance their family's quality of life, specifically for the kitchen.
For the bathroom, on the other hand, adults in the survey were most drawn
to audio speakers (61 percent), lighting (52 percent), bathroom scales (45
percent) and hands-off toilets (35 percent).
"Ultimately, it feels like the IoT is preparing to extend its reach into American homes," said Chris Medenwald, the Field Agent research analyst who
ran the study."People want WiFi-enabled home appliances and electronics."
According to Medenwald, the survey suggests the kitchen is primed for
such growth, but companies may have to make a stronger case for including
smart tech in the bathroom. Time will tell.


Kitchen & Bath Business / JANUARY 2017 / KBBONLINE.COM / The official publication of KBIS (KBIS.com)
http://info.fieldagent.net/kbb http://www.KBBONLINE.COM http://www.KBIS.com
Kitchen & Bath Business - January 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Kitchen & Bath Business - January 2017
