Industry watchers are now expecting a host of players to expand their mass market offerings in the home control arena, from advanced lights and locks to programmable thermostats and energy consumption monitors. Marketplace success will hinge on the answer to this question: Can home control be more compelling now than it’s been over the past decade, when the typical consumer response to the idea has been, “Why do I need that?” This Zanthus white paper provides insights and actionable recommendations for home control marketers, drawing on nearly a decade of research with North American consumers on the topic conducted for the Continental Automated Business Association’s Connected Home Research Council.
Online qualitative research tools can often provide faster, deeper insight than traditional techniques, at lower cost, and use of these methods is beginning to boom. This paper explores the advantages and disadvantages of these approaches, as well as considerations when deciding which specific method to use.
Converged technology products like the iPhone have the unique potential to inspire lasting emotional attachments. In the first of our series on consumer technology convergence, we identify the product attributes driving adoption of these products. These attributes are discussed in the context of leading theories about the diffusion of innovations to show how converged products differ from consumer technologies generally.