‘Game will change’ for smart appliances, says analyst

Smart appliances will become mainstream, but only when inter-connectivity is achieved between brands, an analyst has claimed.

Feng Zhang (pictured), consumer appliances analyst at Euromonitor International, argued that while a number of big-name brands were achieving inter-connectivity between their own products, mass adoption would only be achieved when it is possible across brands.

However, he claimed that this was still a long way off and could take five to 10 years to achieve.

“Right now, connected appliances are still premium, especially for western brands as well as Korean and Japanese brands,” he said.

However, Zhang claimed that “the game will change” and that we would see them become mainstream in Europe, as it was already happening in China.

Zhang also revealed that the future of connected appliances would also be about services to users.

This would form a “huge” ecosystem, he said, where the platform of connected appliances is the key to controlling the ecosystem.

“The types, brands and quality of service providers available on the platform will also be one of the key factors for differentiation and for consumers’ purchasing decisions when it comes to appliance brands,” he explained.

Currently, data from Euromonitor showed that western Europe was the third largest market for connected appliances by sales volumes in 2016. This was led by the UK and France, with popular categories including washing machines and fridge-freezers.

Factors such as smartphone penetration, broadband use and household income have also driven the market, he added.

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