Smart Home Devices

A single smart home device isn’t enough for about 1

in 6 of U.S. broadband households, according to new

smart device research from Parks Associates. The

research firm found that 16% of U.S. broadband house-

holds have two or more smart home devices, and that

nearly half of smart thermostats bought in 2017 were

upgrades to older models, with 16% of smart thermostats

purchased through HVAC dealers.

“The buyer journey for smart home households is important

to study and understand, as we see one purchase

frequently leading to a second and third, with householders

acquiring devices incrementally rather than all at once,”

said Brad Russell, Parks Associates research director,

connected homes, in a prepared statement about the

smart device research. “For smart thermostats, a house-

hold that buys this device frequently moves on to a smart

speaker with a personal assistant as their second or third

smart home purchase.”

Among the report’s other smart home devices data points:

• More than one quarter (26%) of U.S. broadband

households own at least one smart home device.

• More than one fifth (22%) of U.S. broadband house-

holds bought a smart home device over the past year.

• Thirteen percent of U.S. broadband households own

a smart thermostat.

“As the smart home industry attempts to cross the chasm —

moving from adoption among early adopters to the early

majority — brands in the space fervently seek to understand

the value propositions that drive product adoption and how to

improve perceived product value,” said Patrice Samuels,

senior analyst for Parks, in a prepared statement. “Under-

standing the buyer journey is equally important for industry

development.”