OYSTER BAY, N.Y. — The global emphasis on working from home combined with advice to minimize coronavirus will help cement the benefits of smart home voice control for millions of consumers, according to tech research firm ABI Research.
Last year, 141 million voice control smart home device shipped worldwide and, despite the key China market being impacted during the first quarter of 2020, the value of voice control during the pandemic will ensure that this year, voice control device shipments will grow globally by close to 30% over 2019.
“A smarter home can be a safer home,” says Jonathan Collins, research director at ABI Research. Key among the recommendations regarding coronavirus protection in the home is to clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces daily in household common areas.
“Voice has already made significant inroads into the smart home space and voice control can mean avoiding commonly touched surfaces around the home from smartphones, to TV remotes, light switches, thermostats, door handles and more. Voice can also be leveraged for online shopping and information gathering,” says Collins.
But it is in conjunction with other smart home devices that voice brings greater benefits. Voice can be leveraged to control and monitor smart locks to enable deliveries to be placed in the home or another secure location directly, or monitored securely on the doorstep until the resident can bring them in.
Similarly, smart doorbells/video cameras can also ensure deliveries are received securely without the need for face-to-face interaction or exposure. “Such delivery capabilities are especially valuable for those already in-home quarantine or for those receiving home testing kits,” explains Collins.
“In the long term, voice control will continue be the Trojan horse of smart home adoption. COVID-19 is part of the additional motivation and incentive for voice control in the home that will help drive awareness and adoption for a range of additional smart home devices and applications.”
This article first appeared on SSI sister publication CE Pro.
