While
many Internet-connected devices get created, the market ultimately will decide which will gain traction.
And after introducing a product into the marketplace, IoT product creators and
marketers have to closely monitor how their devices are used and adapt accordingly.
A good example of this adaptation is in the introduction of the new Nest Cam Outdoor camera.
After
Nest started selling its Nest Cam, it noticed that a large number of consumers were pointing their devices at windows so they could monitor activity outside their home.
So the Google company
created an outdoor version of the same camera, essentially a traditional Nest Cam built into a weatherproof container.
This is what the Internet of Things is all about: launching and then
adapting to consumer behaviors.
If Nest simply stuck with its indoor camera, no doubt a fast-moving competitor would seek to capture the outdoor, connected camera market.
IoT products
are relatively new, and no one really knows how they will be used until placed into the hands of a large number of consumers.
There are two IoT aspects: what the suppliers and vendors will
create and market and then what consumers will gravitate to.
Both aspects are not always in sync, at least based on market research.
For example, automakers and others are barreling
forward into self-driving cars. Meanwhile, consumers say they don’t want one.
Another example is in retail.
Big-box retailers like Best Buy and Sears are working to feature smart
home products in their stores. Meanwhile, fewer than a third (30%) of households are familiar with where to buy smart home products, based on one study. And fewer than half (40%) prefer to buy smart
home products at retail outlets.
It looks like the build-it-and-they-will-come approach will have to be supplemented with some serious marketing and consumer education.
And then those
same marketers will have to closely watch consumer behavior around their products and then adapt to what consumers really want those products to do and what they want to do with them.
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Samsung, UnderArmour, Microsoft and Philips Lighting presenting at the MediaPost IoT Marketing Forum Aug. 3 in New York. Check out the agenda here.