By: Mitch Klein, Executive Director, Z-Wave Alliance
March 18, 2022
Just a few short weeks ago we proudly announced the availability of our fourth Z-Wave State of the Ecosystem Report. This report – available to all members – was fielded in cooperation with Interpret Research and leverages a mix of syndicated data to provide a baseline of the overall smart home market landscape as well as data collected from a custom, quantitative survey of 1,500 U.S-based smart home device owners.
At CES 2022, our State of the Ecosystem Report was the subject of nearly every press and media briefing fielded by the Z-Wave Alliance and contains some very surprising findings. The published report examines smart home and connected technology with an emphasis on the role Z-Wave plays in the advancement of the industry.
I implore our membership to download the report and give it a detailed read as it was created in part, for you, and contains nearly forty pages of research and findings you will find compelling, interesting, and useful. For a birds-eye-view, I’ll share three of my top take-aways from this year’s report.
DIY is dominating as a means of installation.
The report revealed very interesting data around the adoption rate of DIY devices. While professional installation still remains an extremely relevant channel, the report revealed that 7 out of the top 15 smart home devices are primarily DIY devices. Increasingly so, DIY is getting time in the spotlight and is benefitting from heavy promotion across several mediums. The good news, for all involved, is that home security and the smart home is more accessible now than ever, with tremendous market opportunity for attachment devices.
Water, water, everywhere.
Speaking of top devices, a real “a-ha moment” for me came from the discovery that water-based solutions held two spots on the list of the top 5 most owned Z-Wave devices. This reveals that customers are worried about water damage and actively seeking out leak protection solutions, which include sensors, detectors, and shut off plus notification. Water damage is a huge problem for insurance companies, nearly everyone knows at least one person who has faced a leak or flooding event and the complications that come in tow.
Z-Wave Perception and the Opportunities We Face
The report has revealed that homeowners are getting more comfortable installing smart home solutions on their own, which I interpret in the following two ways. First, these devices are getting easier for homeowners to install on their own and second, those who already own Z-Wave are more conscious of the fact they have access to a reliable, supportive ecosystem and platform from which they can add solutions that fit their needs.
The report also re-affirms information we’ve known to be true for years. Safety and security continue to serve as major drivers when it comes to motivation to purchase. Respondents also reported that convenience is a growing motivating factor, correlating to ease of installation magnified by the everyday benefits homeowners are seeing.
Download your copy of the report to take a deep dive into the data now.