Retail Observer

NOVEMBER 2016 RETAILOBSERVER.COM 51 T his push into the connected home market place through our Connected home kiosks brings many of the usual CE brands together, along with more DIY brands like Hue, Ring, Nest and others. The principal behind the kiosk isn't cash and carry or a "one and done" business model, but rather bringing all the different product categories; Security, Entertainment, Networking and Energy together to tell one cohesive message. A message that's easy for the customer and the dealer to understand and integrate all together. Tying all the categories and products together and showcasing these elements through in store digital signage has the capability to drive in-store advertising, vendor content and even training. This can tell the story of the connected home and how the entire concept ties together as one, while also showing the end user how to use and set-up the various products on the kiosk. With the launch of connected home kiosks, we faced the same dilemma as customers face, bringing all the app-based products from various manufactures together as one. Having a thermostat, doorbell, camera's, security, door locks, sound bars, TV's and all the other items in a house ALL connected sounds great in concept, but quickly creates what's referred to as "app bloat". Handling all the apps requires help from one of the newest control system in the business, Simple Control. Simple Control is app based, but it does several things MOST, if not all app based systems don't do. First, Simple Control has a great margin opportunity for the selling dealer, even inclouding, a reoccurring revenue model for years 2 and 3 when the client re-authorizes the system. Additionally, it simplifies EVERYTHING in the connected home, by looking at what's on the network and easily letting you place it in a room or zone for control. Simple Control then goes a step further and lets you take multi-step processes and create macro's so that setting up the media room for a movie; turning on the TV or projector, turning on the receiver, adjusting the lighting etc, just one button on your iPhone or iPad. At CEDIA this year Simple Control even launched the ability for a customer to control a vacation home and a main home, all from one app. Further simplifying the control of all the connected home devices is Amazon's Echo. Turning on lights, changing the temperature of your home, listening to music, even interacting with some home appliances is as easy as saying "Alexa, turn on my living room lights." Integrating Simple Control with Alexa and the connected items in your home couldn't be simpler, making this truly a DIY Connected Home! The explosive growth in the connected home market was underscored by the fact that for the first time ever companies that, in the past had not embraced the traditional CE channel, much less the CI channel displayed on the show floor at CEDIA. With companies like Amazon, Google, Philips Hue and others on the floor for the first time it was further evidence that our team is heading down the right path with the Connected Home Kiosk. Seeing some of these brands at CEDIA also says the they are embracing the channel, what CI and retailers bring to the table, our business models and even offering margin opportunities that, in the DIY market, haven't been available in the past. So, next time you think about the possibilities in the connected home, think about how well they play together, and the amount of time that goes into making them work together. Now, "Alexa, take me to the connected home." Hank Alexander Director of HTSN, Nationwide Marketing Group RO

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