The market of the so-called smart home he started running again, reaching altitude 650 million euros and marking an increase of 29% compared to 2020. On average we are up 11 euros of expenditure per inhabitant, beyond the pre-pandemic levels. Despite the good results, the growth could however have been even higher (+ 45%) if it had not been for the shortage of semiconductors and raw materials, which accounted for 75 million euros in lost sales.
To take the picture of the Italian connected home market is the latest edition ofOsservatorio Internet of Things from the School of Management of the Politecnico di Milano. The market is driven by connected household appliances (135 million euros), smart speakers (130 million euros), security solutions (125 million), connected boilers, thermostats and air conditioners for heating and air conditioning (110 million), followed by cash registers audio, light bulbs, smart plugs and devices to manage blinds and shutters remotely. However, the Italian market remains far from the top in the European rankings. Compared to United Kingdom (€ 4 billion, + 43%, € 58.7 per inhabitant) e Germany (3.9 billion euros, + 37%, 46.8 € / inhabitant) we have accumulated even more delay, while we have shortened the distance from France (1.3 billion euros, + 16%, 19.4 € / inhabitant) and even more detached Spain (480 million euros, + 14%, 10.1 € / inhabitant).
The notoriety of the “connected” house
The concept of smart home is increasingly known by the general public. 74% of consumers have heard of it at least once (69% in 2020, 68% in 2019, 59% in 2018). And 46% of Italians own at least one smart object at home, a figure in constant growth compared to the previous three years (43% in 2020, 42% in 2019, 41% in 2018. TV advertising is the first source of knowledge for Italians (51%, + 19% compared to 2020), recording the most important growth among the various sources of information available to the consumer, then comes the internet (34%), word of mouth through acquaintances ( 26%) and social networks (20%). In parallel, the spread of smart objects in homes is growing: 46% of people have at least one connected device, a figure in constant growth compared to the previous three years (43% in 2020, 42% in 2019, 41% in 2018), especially the youngest, between 18 and 34 years old (63%) and those who are more familiar with technologies (78%). The reasons for buying are mainly related to comfort (38%), safety (22%) and the ability to remotely control connected devices (14%).
The revival of traditional shops
2021 was a year of strong recovery for many sales channels. Online retailers have continued to ride the strong push to Online shopping, once again observing an excellent growth rate (+ 25%) and reaching 225 million euros at the end of 2021 (35% of the market). THE multichannel retailer and the traditional supply chain, which in 2020 had alternated between lights and shadows also due to the restrictions imposed during the year, in 2021 they saw an important recovery. Multichannel retailers have significantly increased their turnover compared to that recorded in 2020 (125 million euros, + 29%) thanks to the return of customers in stores and the growing interest in the possibility of remotely managing connected devices and appliances at home . The traditional supply chain also saw strong growth in 2021 (+ 40%, 245 million euros), thanks primarily to the boost given by incentives, Ecobonus over all. Sales of the utility, insurance e telcoeven if, especially for the first two, it was a year of relaunch in terms of new offers for the home.
The protocol of the future
The evolution of enabling technologies for the Smart Home. In particular, the efforts of the member companies of the Connectivity Standard Alliance (Csa) towards the drafting of the specifications of Matterthe new protocol for the interoperability of Smart Homealbeit late on the timeline defined in 2020. “The first demonstrations, presented at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas at the beginning of 2022, testify to the good level of progress of the specifications defined to date – he explains Antonio Capone, scientific director of the Internet of Things Observatory – and the growing maturity of the technology to support the standards on the market. The first products “Matter-compliant” they are probably expected by the end of 2022, leaving time for manufacturers to concentrate on defining the differential elements of related products and services in order to be able to emerge in the new integrated smart home scenario “.