Most US Consumers Believe Smart Home Tech Will Change Their Lives, Says Report

Nearly 60 percent of U.S. consumers said smart home technology is likely to change their lives in the next few years, said a GfK report Monday. The number rose to 68 percent among respondents 25-34 years old, and 57 percent of those ages 18-24 agreed, said the report. Some 27 percent of U.S. consumers have more than three smart home devices, and 7 percent own two or three, it said. Overall, half of respondents have at least one smart home device with millennial ownership at nearly 64 percent, it said. Owning synchronized devices is particularly useful for home entertainment and security systems, said Tom Neri, commercial director-tech and durables at GfK. While researchers found solid uptake and high expectations among millennial respondents, Gen Z (Ages 2-19) respondents “seem less impressed or engaged,” which Neri called a “a potential challenge" for the tech industry. He also noted that age segment isn’t yet in its “first ‘home life’ stage.” Cross-device communication could be a roadblock for smart home growth, said Neri, with 68 percent of millennials saying they expect devices from different vendors to talk to each other, “a level of compatibility the industry is still working to achieve in many cases."