FEBRUARY 2019 RETAILOBSERVER.COM
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and voice control, technologists are now being added to the list of
designers and trades involved in kitchen projects. These are
the three most recommended features they are
specifying, according to the report (See Chart 3):
• Mobile device charging/storage (66%)
• Centralized lighting controls (45%)
• Automated faucets (43%)
Consumers are saying they want technology
that makes their lives easier (57%), yet they
don't want their kitchens to have a "techy
appearance." This is probably why automated
faucets look like their non-wired contemporary
cousins, and why in-drawer chargers are
becoming widespread.
Consumers also want their home automation
technology products to be able to work together
(54%), regardless of brand or platform, and they are
genuinely embracing voice control (46%). For example,
there are definite advantages in being able to tell your
faucet to turn on or off when your hands are holding a
hot roasting pan.
Some of the features that both designers and consumers are
interested in include appliances and faucets that send failure and
leak notices, cooking appliances that sense overcooking or signal
when they are left on unintentionally, sensors that can track food
inventory, and monitoring of climate, security and children's
computer usage.
While these features are not all available yet, consumers are
saying they see added market value for their homes in kitchen
technology (72%), time-saving (70%), safety (58%), and comfort
(61%) improvements, and even improvements to their cooking
skills (52%). The drawbacks they've experienced include difficulty
in discovering and comparing what's available (38%), compatibility
with other home technology (37%), expense (36%), reliability
(32%) and difficulty using the technology (28%). (See Chart 2.)
"There is often disproportionate excitement around things that
are shiny and new, but people don't know what to do with them
yet," said James Johnson-Miller, director of event technology for the
IMEX Group. One reason many tech providers will be stuffing the
envelope instead of pushing it in the coming year is that buyers and
users cannot adopt the new technologies as fast as developers
can develop them.
off its connected
CEDIA Expo 2018.
courtesy of Kohler Co.)
RO
CHART 2 CHART 3
