Only 2 in 10 Swiss consumers use smart home connected devices

Home automation could increase domestic comfort and security. However, in Switzerland, only 57 per cent know about home automation and only two out of ten people use a smart home connected device in their household. The most popular smart home devices in use are intelligent lighting and music devices, with Apple HomeKit and Amazon Alexa being the most popular smart home systems. Only 13 per cent of Swiss intend to buy a smart home device in the coming months.

Automatically locking doors, adapting heating systems or intelligent shutters; home automatization would be powerful. According to a survey by the American company Traqline, 69 per cent of Americans already use a smart home device. Switzerland is still a long way from this level. In January and February, the Swiss company Ofri surveyed 201 Swiss Germans on the use of smart home devices in their households.

Only 57 per cent know about smart home technology

At the end of the 2000s, the first smart home devices came onto the Swiss market. Experts predicted great growth for the new products. According to the Ofri survey, however, home automation has not yet broken through to the mainstream. Just over half (57 per cent) of Swiss people are aware of smart home technology. It’s noticeable that homeowners are more familiar with the new technology than tenants. Sixty-nine per cent of the homeowners know about smart home technology, whereas only 41 per cent of tenants do.

Intelligent lighting is the most popular

Two out of ten Swiss use a smart home connected device in their household. The most popular smart home devices in use are intelligent lighting, music devices and televisions, while intelligent smoke detectors, vacuum cleaners and washing machines are hardly used. The few Swiss that use smart home technology say that the major reason is to improve their quality of life. Only seven of the 201 participants stated that they are using smart home devices to save energy. A further seven participants stated that they are using smart home devices to increase safety.

Apple HomeKit most popular

The most popular system among the participants is Apple HomeKit, followed by Alexa from Amazon. Only five participants use Google Home. Often the smart home users combine the different systems.

Consumers see no benefit

In addition, for the near future, consumers will remain with a critical mindset concerning home automation. Only 13 per cent plan to purchase a smart home device in the next 12 months. Forty-seven per cent don’t see the benefit of smart home devices. One survey participant said, ‘Why should everything be automated? For me, it is a morning ritual to prepare orange juice by hand. We don’t need to control everything with our smartphone.’ This statement goes along with the 23 per cent who find the smart home technically too complex. The third most common reason is fear of their privacy (22 per cent).

About Ofri

Since 2011, the Zürich-based company Ofri has been operating a marketplace for craftsmen. Customers, such as homeowners or tenants, submit a project description to the marketplace and subsequently receive several cost estimates from craftsmen from their region. For craftsmen, the marketplace is a good marketing tool to acquire new orders and customers. The survey about smart home technology was conducted by Ofri in January and February 2019. 201 people from Switzerland took part in the survey. 44.3 per cent are homeowners and 55.7 per cent are tenants.