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Successfully demonstrating the Internet of Things in-store

The Internet of Things is a topic on the tongues of many a consumer these days. No longer left to the techies among us, it’s entering the public consciousness at a blistering pace, aided no end by the likes of Amazon’s Echo and Google’s HomePod, the latter having only been launched at the WWDC event earlier this year.

While the tech world begins to get to grips with Apple’s latest launch in particular, as well as a slew of new releases at IFA, let’s not forget about the challenges facing retailers and distributors selling such technology. Educating the average consumer in the benefits and opportunities posed by such products is a process retailers and distributors have yet to nail, with a key area of development being their in-store presentation. The Echo, Ring doorbell and generally the smart kitchen aside, sales have been typically slow, with notable issues including successfully presenting first-hand what the smart home can actually do and ensuring consumers don’t feel out their technical depth. Expressing the convenience of such products in-store is similarly a part of the education process which has yet to be successfully cracked.

In achieving this end, it is important that retailers work closer than ever with suppliers and distributors to successfully coordinate their in-store theatre and supply chain. A diligent approach to ensuring products are available in the warehouse and shop floor and that all pricing and POS is up to date is key in maximising sales. Additionally, all parties involved need to be flexible to be able to plan for new developments, ensuring in-store theatre is suitably adapted to cater for the demands of new products.

In educating the consumers, it is important to communicate clearly the benefits of the smart home and IoT. One such key feature is to highlight these aren’t designed to work solo. They can connect directly to a host of connected home products such as smart light bulbs, plugs and thermostats from a range of leading brands without the need for a separate hub. Explaining that a number of brands can effectively work together will be key to the success in selling such products, otherwise the simplicity they offer will become lost on consumers. Having always been seen as the barrier stunting the sales of the connected home, products like Echo make it more accessible for the consumer, and so an easier market for companies to become involved.

The potential for such IoT products and their role in the automated and connected home is certainly great, though again the challenge for retailers is to successfully communicate this to consumers in-store. Effectively portraying their capabilities as part of a connected home is an ongoing dilemma, though certainly not one devoid of hope for success. The secret will lie in the execution of the in-store layout, with significant floor space to be dedicated to a connected home setup to portray the manner in which all such products are able to link up. In this sense, the manner in which such spaces and the accompanying technology are to be implemented will be key.

There have been some success stories so far in terms of displaying smart home capabilities in-store. As mentioned above, the smart kitchen in particular has proven somewhat successful in this regard, with Silicon Valley-based start-up Innit partnering with Pirch to create a smart kitchen showcase at Pirch’s New York City flagship store. John Lewis’ Oxford Street store also has its own dedicated section to the smart home, intended to try and educate consumers in the benefits, and most important the convenience, such technology can offer.

What needs to happen is an increasing effort to educate the consumer in-store. There needs to be more of a focus towards creating the smart home setup in-store to reflect the convenience and ease of use the various products in the market. The breadth of brands available, and the ways in which they are able to connect, is similarly something consumers will need to be made aware of, ensuring they understand the simplicity this new technology can offer.

As we continue to see more products launched in this market, there is undoubtedly huge potential for technology retailers in 2017. Showcasing the range of abilities the IoT can deliver will be key, though if executed successfully, this will certainly lead to additional benefits such as sales boosts from accessory and peripheral products. It’s all there waiting for consumers to jump on board; they just need to know how much they want it.

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