4% this year to 13% next year and 69% by end of 2019 - that will be the percentages of people who are expected to own at least one in-home connected device. Connected devices are starting to feature across many household verticals as the Internet of Things (IoT) starts catching up across end-consumer products. Examples of connected devices we may be seeing in the near future, apart from the omnipresent smart devices such as smartphones and tablets, are connected cameras, connected light-bulbs, connected air-conditioner units and even, connected home termostats.
The 2014 State of the Internet of Things Study from Accenture reported these figures along with other findings in the IoT space. The US-based study which was conducted by Acquity
Group, a provider of digital marketing, interactive design, and eCommerce solutions, also studied the wearable segment comprising of smart watches and fitness devices which Accenture says will continue to increase in terms of adoption rates with almost 50% of the 2000 respondents already owning or intending to own a wearable device by 2019.
Based on the findings from the study, men are more likely to be early adopters for IoT devices, with 19% of men saying that they have heard of the term compared to only 8% of women who have heard of 'IoT' before. Eventhough men are more likely to go ahead and own an IoT device in the next 5 years, when it comes to connected health devices, women are slightly ahead in terms of adoption at a rate of 8% compared to men with a rate of 7%. Adoption across different age group also varies depending on the type of IoT devices purchased, with the younger consumers more likely to own an in-home or wearable IoT device compared to older age groups who are more inclined to own specific devices such as home thermostats.
“These digital devices present major opportunities for improving a brand’s customer experience for a range of consumers. Our data reveals that it’s not only tech enthusiasts who are interested in these kinds of products, but late adopters who also express interest in buying them. The growth of these devices will have a major impact on customer experience innovation across industries. Adoption of IoT technologies can provide digital businesses high-quality brand engagement opportunities with customers and drive more revenues.”
- Jay Dettling, President, Acquity Group