Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM JULY 2018 50 Hank Alexander Consumer Electronic Trends Hank Alexander Director HTSN - Home Technology Specialists Nationwide Nationwide Marketing Group A s always, we all hear and talk a LOT about the Internet of Things (IoT), the connected home, or the Jetsons' style of living in the near future. But for most, 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 a 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 display them a high traffic showroom, and how consumers would use them in everyday life. 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 or run it... a component I feel gets lost in some connected devices. The connected home should connect our devices to our everyday lives, learning how we do things and how we live in our day-to-day life. This learning is key to the connected home being a mainstream desire and need for the connected home in order 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 come 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 integration would be service related or through more customer-facing conveniences 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. In addition to products that we've highlighted in our DIY strategy for members, products like Hue Lighting and Nest Hello doorbells are great examples of products that are easy to install and use in a DIY market place. In the more traditional CI market, we look at how to embrace the DIY and CI markets at the same time, and review the trends with partners like Elan, Control 4 and others. 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 are also constantly evolving, and this means keeping an eye on those underlying technologies. Just a few years ago, it was difficult to have products from different vendors work together. 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 to 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 programing 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, and hightlighting the ease of use, user interface, convenience, and how the technology all works together will continue to help the market mature. Showing the integration of all the different sub-systems and the how technology can make anyone's life easier is key to the market success. At the Sub Zero/Wolf showroom, they wanted technology to improve their customer's experiences, their lives, and their understanding of how technology can improve day-to-day life—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! THE JETSONS ARE ALMOST HERE

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