• by Aaron Baar , January 12, 2016

Although they have been tagged as one of the bright spots for the coming year in the consumer electronics sector, makers of smart home devices need to be concerned about user-friendliness if they want them to truly take off.

According to a survey conducted by Support.com, which provides tech support and support center services, nearly a third (31%) of smart home system owners struggle with the complexity of setup. In addition, 43% of potential smart home device buyers are concerned about how complex setting up the system might be. 

“Complexity is starting to impede adoption,” Alex Polous, Support.com’s vice president of marketing, tells Marketing Daily. “If we want to increase adoption, we need to look at the user experience and not just the flashy features.”

Still, 37% of current smart home device owners installed the devices themselves, and 61% want to attempt to fix the issues on their own. Providers, then, should offer an array of support options for different customers and for different stages of ownership, he says. 

About half of potential buyers (49%) are inclined to use a single providers to purchase, install and offer support for their systems (compared with 40% of current owners). Among potential buyers, 43% would be willing to pay a one-time fee for professional installation, though a similar percentage didn’t know which company is responsible for the support.

“Brands need to be very clear about what support is available and who will provide it,” Polous says.