Security-Based Devices Driving Smart Home Growth, Says NPD

Thirty-five percent of U.S. consumers own at least one smart device, NPD reported Monday. Ownership rates vary widely among product categories, with security cameras leading at 15% ownership. Smart doorbells, doubling as monitoring devices, are driving the highest unit volume changes, adding 1.8 million units through January for 64% year-on-year growth. Smart light bulbs and power devices, seen as convenience products, have fallen to low single-digit unit growth, said NPD. Ownership in the highest income households is more than double that of lower-income households, and households earning over $150,000, 15% of the population, are more likely to own a broader portfolio. Device cost isn’t the primary factor driving purchase decisions, said NPD: Consumers of all income levels gravitate more to security cameras when starting their smart home collections, it said. “Even as the smart home market continues to develop and other products become more readily available, consumers today are still most likely to take that first step into the smart home market with the purchase of a security camera,” said analyst Jill Aldort. Data is based on a survey fielded in January among 5,044 adults.