More Than Half of U.S. Broadband Households Would Like to Give Voice Commands to Smart Devices: Parks Associates

New research from Parks Associates shows that more than half (55 percent) of U.S. broadband households want to use voice to control their entertainment and smart home devices.

Many of the consumers who own or intend to purchase a smart home device want these smart home capabilities accessible through their entertainment devices,” said Brett Sappington, Senior Director of Research, Parks Associates. “Consumers don’t see connected entertainment, security, and control devices as discrete, siloed product areas. They expect connected products to work together.”

Many of the consumers who own smart light bulbs, thermostats, smoke detectors, and garage door openers find it appealing to control such devices through their entertainment systems, including automated voice assistant products like the Amazon Echo and Google Home, Sappington pointed out.

The Parks Associates report, 360 View: Residential Security & Smart Home also notes that privacy continues to be important to consumers for connected entertainment and smart home devices, with two-thirds of smart product owners rating safety and security notifications appealing.

However, their concerns lessen if they are given greater control over their personal data. Just 17 percent of U.S. broadband households have privacy concerns about smart home devices if they have greater control over their personal data.

“Consumer concerns about hackers shouldn’t inhibit market growth,” said Glenn Hower, Senior Analyst, Parks Associates. “Although privacy concerns are widespread, providing simple, configurable, consumer-controlled rules for data use will go a long way to mitigate privacy concerns and provide consumers with peace of mind.”

The IoT research firm will address the impact of new entertainment experiences and crossover opportunities with other IoT systems in the home at the 21st-annual CONNECTIONS™: The Premier Connected Home Conference on May 23-25, 2017, in San Francisco. The conference examines the use cases and emerging business models that will successfully engage consumers and grow revenues in the converging IoT industries, including smart home, connected entertainment, and mobile ecosystems.

(For more information visit http://www.parksassociates.com).