The Smart Home industry is poised for explosive growth. According to Zion Research, the global smart home market is expected to grow 14.5% compounded annually between 2017 and 2022. Global Smart Home revenue is projected to grow from $24.1 billion in 2016 to $53.5 billion by 2022. The implications for smart home retail displays are significant, which is the subject of today’s blog.
The technology underlying smart homes enables various devices to be connected and controlled by one device. Various devices such as lighting, AC, home security cameras, smart TVs, washing machines, window coverings, irrigation, entertainment systems, hot tubs, and other home appliances can be controlled by either a remote or a smartphone or tablet. Key drivers of smart home adoption are energy efficiency, home security, entertainment, convenience/productivity, remote health monitoring and connectivity.
A number of these smart home technologies have required professional installers, which has limited some of the direct-to-consumer merchandising opportunities at retail. But increasingly, these technologies are evolving as out-of-the-box solutions which will create more opportunities for direct consumer sales in retail stores. These smart home retail displays will raise the stakes for industry players and will require more effective point-of-purchase displays to drive sales.
Let’s face it, a lot of these products look alike and have similar functionality so the challenge is really one of marketing. Differentiating smart home automation displays in a field of growing competition will become the central challenge for product marketers over the next several years.
Let’s take a look at a number of smart home retail displays that we have designed and produced recently to illustrate what makes an effective display. A few things you’ll notice: (1) All of the displays feature either a mounted product or a video explaining the product, (2) A number of the displays utilize live product demonstrations, (3) All of the displays have prominent, attractive graphics that help make the display stand out and attract the consumer, and (4) Whenever possible the graphics are backlit to make them stand out even more.
The examples below represent a full line of displays that we developed for EZVIZ. These displays can be found in leading retailers such as Best Buy Mexico, Best Buy Canada, National Furniture Mart, B&H, and a number of other retailers. The first display shown below is a 4-ft. unit showcasing EZVIZ’s wired security camera product. It features sheet metal construction with 4 mounted security cameras, a DVR, a large high definition monitor (shown as the large white box in the center of the display), 5 lightbox graphics, and permanent screen-printed graphics.
We made a similar 3-ft. version shown below.
In addition to these larger versions, we made a number of 1-ft. modular versions that can be either used on their own or in combination to create a larger footprint and presence. All of the displays shown below have sheet metal construction, magnetic front shelf graphics, mounted product, and a back-panel lightbox.
The 2-ft. version shown below is made of acrylic with applied vinyl graphics and mounted product with removable acrylic panels to make it easy to change out the product.
We created a different acrylic version for Best Buy Canada since they had slightly different requirements. The graphics in the unit shown below are secured by channels and are interchangeable. In addition, we designed individual removable acrylic plates to make it easy to change out the product.
In addition to the EZVIZ line, we designed the display shown below as a portable case display to showcase Carrier’s COR Home Automation system. While it could be used in a retail setting, the primary purpose of this unit is to provide a salesperson with a merchandising vehicle for in-home demonstrations.
The last two examples we will share are not really Smart Home retail display, but since they are closely related we thought we would show them. The first is a 4-ft. display we created for Ubiquity Networks’ Amplifi product. These displays featured black PVC construction, vinyl graphics, magnetic graphics, and live outlets with product.
Our final example is a display we made for Bluesound’s smart wireless multi-room HD digital audio sound system. We made the display out of MDF and incorporated user-controlled audio buttons connected to mounted speakers, a video player, digitally printed graphics, and a brochure holder.
Jim Hollen is the owner and President of RICH LTD. (www.richltd.com), a 35+ year-old California-based point-of-purchase display, retail store fixture, and merchandising solutions firm which has been named among the Top 50 U.S. POP display companies for 9 consecutive years. A former management consultant with McKinsey & Co. and graduate of Stanford Business School, Jim has served more than 3000 brands and retailers over more than 20 years and has authored nearly 500 blogs and e-Books on a wide range of topics related to POP displays, store fixtures, and retail merchandising.
Jim has been to China more than 50 times and has worked directly with more than 30 factories in Asia across a broad range of material categories, including metal, wood, acrylic, injection molded and vacuum formed plastic, corrugated, glass, LED lighting, digital media player, and more. He also oversees RICH LTD.’s domestic manufacturing operation and has experience manufacturing, sourcing, and importing from numerous Asian countries as well as Vietnam and Mexico.
His experience working with brands and retailers spans more than 25 industries such as food and beverage, apparel, consumer electronics, cosmetics/beauty, sporting goods, automotive, pet, gifts and souvenirs, toys, wine and spirits, home improvement, jewelry, eyewear, footwear, consumer products, mass market retail, specialty retail, convenience stores, and numerous other product/retailer categories.