RETAILOBSERVER.COM FEBRUARY 2019
36
NKBA surveyed 198 designers and 301 consumers in July 2018.
The consumers chosen for the study were planning to remodel
their kitchen in the next 24 months and considered themselves to
be moderate or frequent users of technology.
The report is available for purchase at www.nkba.org — members
receive discounts. To obtain a copy of the full report or executive
summary, go to www.nkba.org/store.
For much of CEDIA's existence, the home technology association's
members have focused on big screens and booming speakers. Those
still abound, as was evident on the CEDIA Expo show floor, but the
realms of technology are expanding far beyond home theater into the
home's true hub. According to a just-released Kitchen Technology
Awareness & Usage Report: "Most consumers use technology in their
kitchens (answering texts and emails, looking up recipes online,
grocery shopping online, etc. (See Chart 1)"
In an expanding partnership, NKBA, the report's creator, had a
presence at the 2018 CEDIA Expo, and in turn, CEDIA has had a
presence at NKBA's recent flagship Kitchen + Bath Industry Show,
continuing in 2019 with a pavilion and expert speakers.
With the kitchen and bath slice of the construction industry expected
to grow to $178 billion in 2019 according to NKBA, this is a true growth
opportunity for the technology industry. With millennials increasing
their presence in the home-buying and remodeling markets,
technology is a knowledge area where kitchen and bath
pros need to be growing. Designers are fielding more
questions on these topics from their clients, and
home technology specialists, often called
integrators, are proving to be helpful in providing
answers and guidance.
The report revealed: "Only one-third of
designers are always or frequently recom-
mending technology in their kitchen designs,
because they are not knowledgeable about
the wide array of tech solutions available."
They are also not always aware of the planning
considerations required by the components that
can impact the success of a project. Tech pros say
those considerations need to be factored into the
earliest planning stages.
With home automation extending throughout the
residence, phones and tablets needing power and
storage, and faucets and appliances gaining connectivity
SMART TECH
:
KITCH E N TECH NOLOGY AWAR E N ESS STU DY
Kohler showed off
collection at CEDIA
(Photo courtesy
CHART 1 CHART
