Connecting is the key component in the
Internet of Things and consumers seem to want those connections to be pretty much wherever they are.
The smartphone obviously is one of the most obvious of connected devices today and
consumers look to that device as a connection for other things.
It turns out that many consumers also want to link the connections in their homes with the connections in their cars, based on a
new study by Parks Associates.
More than a quarter (27%) of U.S. car owners would like a feature that enables their car to communicate with Internet-connected devices in their home. Opening a
garage door or unlocking the front door from their car seems to appeal to consumers.
The reality is that where connections reside does not live in a vacuum.
The connected car
and smart home markets are growing in parallel with each other, and remote home security and controls, entertainment on-the-go and home energy management are expanding consumer interest in connected
cars, according to the report.
The first preference of consumers is to have the connecting capability built into cars, followed by using a link via their smartphone. Least desirable is to use
a smartphone in a car.
This has potential implications for marketers, since advertising is more likely going to travel directly through car screens and speakers rather than through
smartphones. Location added to the mix of targeting mobile (as in driving) consumers adds an additional twist.
And how consumers pay for these connections also has to be worked out, with 61%
of car owners preferring to bundle vehicle data with smartphone data under one billing plan.
But the linkage between home and car already is underway, with companies like Nest, ADT, Alarm.com
and Hue already creating partnerships with companies in the automotive area, according to Parks Associates.
The general idea is that friction between home and away will be reduced by linking
home and car, according to the report.
That essentially means that messaging will have to reside in both places as well. And be connected.