Understanding the path to smart home adoption: Segmenting and describing consumers across the innovation-decision process

Abstract

The burgeoning smart home market brings opportunities for home energy management systems (HEMS). Despite hundreds of smart HEM products on the market and many invested stakeholders, consumer adoption is lagging behind expectations. Past research in this space has focused on smart home technology (SHT) in general, rather than particular products with HEM potential. Conflating smart HEMS with all SHT is problematic because there is a wide range of smart home products and functions, toward which consumers may have varying attitudes. Past work has also rarely distinguished between various stages of the adoption process that lead up to smart HEMS purchase (Knowledge, Persuasion, and Decision Stages). This research used a Diffusion of Innovations framework and survey data from 709 California utility customers to assess the current market and barriers to HEM smart hardware adoption. Cluster analysis based on consumer awareness, interest, and ownership of HEMS revealed four consumer segments at different positions along the path to adoption: Unfamiliar, Unpersuaded, Persuaded, and Owners. Each group had a unique demographic and psychographic profile with implications for different sets of relevant barriers to adoption.

Exploring the effects of California's COVID-19 shelter-in-place order on household energy practices and intention to adopt smart home technologies

“…We now explore how SIP orders may reach beyond activities and occupancy to shape preferences toward and perceptions of smart home technology ( RQ3 ). When we examine factors associated with the intention to adopt smart home technology, we find—consistent with the existing literature on smart home technologies [ 46 ]—that men, younger respondents, and higher income households have greater intentions to adopt. We also find that households with minors have higher intentions to purchase smart home technology.…”

“…Additionally, while change in midday occupancy during SIP is not associated with intention to purchase smart technology, both reports of increased energy-using activities and all energy and non-energy activities are associated with greater intention to purchase such technologies. This suggests that while individual and household characteristics undoubtably have an impact on the intention to adopt smart technology, as shown in previous research [ 46 ], higher levels of reported activity frequency during SIP are also important. There are a few potential reasons why we would find this effect.…”

Determinants of energy tracking application use at the city level: Evidence from France

“…Balta-Ozkan et al (2013a [7]), for instance, found how the latter has been identified as significantly influencing citizens' attitudes to adopt or use a smart technology. On the other hand, according to Sanguinetti et al (2018) [53], being an owner, rather than a tenant, does not seem to impact significantly on smart home technology adoption.…”

“…Other authors showed that privacy issues appear prevalent for all smart technology adopters (Sanguinetti et al, 2018 [53]). Conversely, Gerpott and Paukert (2013) [24] detected how households in Germany do not perceive, on average, any risk related to privacy violation.…”

“…Interest can also be placed on users' awareness of what is a smart home technology, and their own perception of benefits and risks (Sanguinetti et al 2018) [53]. In the extant adoption literature on smart home technologies, the aim is then to explain individuals' knowledge and benefits (or risk) perception, or alternatively, predicting individuals' adoption and use of IoT services (Shin et al…”