Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM AUGUST 2016 56 A s always, we all hear and talk a LOT about The Internet of Things (IoT), the connected home, or the Jetson's style of living in the near future. But for many, the big "unknown" is how to integrate all the new connected home products and ideas into the Kitchen. Is it cameras in refrigerators, tablets on the front or appliances that order food and supplies themselves? For one appliance company, Sub-zero/Wolf, and one more traditional CI manufacturer, Elan, the plan was simple, make the two technologies work together, seamlessly and without one being more intrusive than the other. When Sub-Zero/Wolf set-out to do their new showroom they thought about the connected technologies and how to best use them in an everyday life and a high traffic showroom. They did what anyone thinking about connected home technologies should do, they turned to the professionals at Elan. In doing so, they recognized that technology should IMPROVE your day-to-day life, not intrude on or run it... something I feel gets lost in some connected devices. The connected home should connect our devices to our everyday lives, learning how we do things, how we live in our day to day life. This learning is key to the connected home being a mainstream desire, want and need for the connected home to take off. All too often we've heard, seen or experienced technology that breaks something that was already working or answers the question nobody was asking. As the connected home market comes into its own, it's critical that manufacturers, installers and customers all understand how the different technologies all work together. Every install and integrated technology needs to be what I call "hotel easy". One shouldn't have to explain technology or the connected home, it should be intuitive. Being intuitive, similar to the way the Elan system integrated into the Sub Zero/Wolf showroom, will make the entire industry successful. The appliance business is ripe for integration with the larger connected home experience, whether that's service related or more customer facing conveniences is in some cases yet to be determined and depends largely on who you ask. At HTSN we look at the connected home market in two ways, the DIY market and the more traditional CI or custom installation marketplace. Products like Hue lighting and ring doorbells are great examples of products that are easy to install and use in a DIY market place and products that we've highlighted in our DIY strategy for members. In the more traditional CI market we look at the trends with partners like Elan, Control 4 and others as well as how to embrace the DIY and CI markets at the same time. The reoccurring themes we look for are ease of use, integration with other systems in the home and opportunity for our members to drive the connected home message. The technologies behind both the DIY and CI markets is also constantly evolving and this means keeping an eye on those underlying technologies. Just a few years ago, it was difficult having products from different vendors to work together. Yet, as the market matures we're seeing better integration of these technologies and brands. It's important to understand how the different technologies integrate and too make sure that they all operate together. A few years ago just having lighting, locks, audio, video and security operate in the same ecosystem would mean hours of labor intensive programming hours. Today, as both the DIY and CI markets have grown-up a bit it's much easier to integrate those sub-systems. Showing that technology isn't intimidating, but instead the ease of use, the user interface, the convenience and how the technology all works together will continue to help the market mature. The best thing we can all do is show the integration of all the different sub-systems and the how technology can make anyone's life easier is key to the market success. As in the Sub Zero/Wolf showroom, they wanted technology to improve their customer's experiences, their lives and their understanding of how technology can improve the day to day life and they got just that with their Elan installation. Embrace the connected home today, it's here to stay and I can guarantee, the ride will be fun! Hank Alexander Consumer Electronic Trends Hank Alexander, Director HTSN. Hank leads in the execution of merchandising and marketing strategies for retailers in the CI division. Hank's strong background in retail includes time spent with Vann's, as well as experience on the vendor side, with Core Brands and Crestron. Hank brings a very diverse skill set that will enable him to assist retail members in succeeding in their marketplace. RO EMBRACING THE CONNECTED HOM E

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