As it prepares to launch the first promotion campaign in the United States, British smart home brand Hive has published a survey on Americans’ awareness of smart home.
As it prepares to launch the first promotion campaign in the United States, British smart home brand Hive has published a survey on Americans’ awareness of smart home. The result shows three barriers that keep consumers from adopting smart home – price, ease of use and product compatibility. Nonetheless, Hive has been criticized for having overpriced solutions.
Up to 82% of respondents said they have heard of smart homes while 56% of them said they don’t “speak the language” of smart home.
Price is one of the reasons that hold consumers back from adopting smart homes. Some 76% of respondents think they need to scale back on other purchases in order to upgrade their homes. And 91% of the respondents who indicate their awareness of smart home said installing smart gadgets is not a priority among household expenses.
The perceived technological hassle of smart homes is also a barrier. 79% of the respondents feel that adopting smart homes needs professional assistance, while 65% said they don’t know how smart home can make their lives easier.
The highly diversified smart home industry seems to confuse consumers too. 85% of the respondents said when adopting smart home, they would prefer having products provided by one brand rather than gathering various gadgets from multiple companies.
The survey was conducted in May 2017, and received responses from 1,116 Americans across the country. The result can help Hive’s marketing campaign, which aims to convince consumers that its solution will make users’ life easier and spare them free time.
However, media outlet CNET said that Hive’s solution is more expensive than other providers in the United States.
The Welcome Home Standard Plan offered by Hive in the U.S. requires a two-year subscription plan which costs US$25 per month (It costs £5.99 per month in the UK). In other words, it costs a total of US$600 for a two-year contract. Meanwhile, Hive doesn’t provide free installation or other advanced features such as professional monitoring.
CNET compared Hive with other DIY home solutions. The Wink package that includes a Wink Hub, an Ecobee thermostat, two smart plugs, two door sensors, a motion sensor and four LED light bulbs costs US$457. The Samsung SmartThings package which contains similar gadgets costs US$490.
“You’ll pay a price for Hive’s smart home automation system,” the media outlet wrote.