According to Parks Associates, millennials will lead the smart home and consumer electronics (CE) purchasing for this holiday season, with 46% reporting high intentions to buy at least one device and 36% planning to give one as a gift. The research firm, which surveyed U.S. broadband households on their purchase intentions for this holiday season, says one-third of U.S. broadband households report a high intention to purchase a CE or smart home device this holiday season.
"Consumer marketing strategies and technology evangelism by Amazon and Google have created attention for smart home and connected CE devices, creating an opportunity for a big jump in these products this holiday season," said Elizabeth Parks, SVP, Parks Associates. "Fourteen percent of U.S. broadband households intend to purchase a smart video doorbell, potentially driving this device to similar adoption levels of smart thermostats and connected lighting products. While consumer intentions aren't always realized, these findings give a good indication of the coming impact of the holiday purchase season."
Parks says 9% of U.S. broadband households report high intentions to buy a voice-enabled device, such as an Amazon Echo, Google Home, Apple HomePod, or Amazon Look, and the most popular form factor by far is a smart speaker with personal assistant.
"Many of the shoppers planning to give a smart speaker with personal assistant as a gift already have one, which indicates positive user experiences," said Jennifer Kent, Parks' director of research quality and product development. "Voice has become a strong differentiator in creating a compelling user experience, and it is driving wider adoption."
The research house also notes a strong correlation between high CE/smart home purchase intentions and Amazon Prime membership - 40% of Amazon Prime members are very likely to buy at least one CE or smart home device this holiday shopping season.