The smart home industry generates no shortage of data – but much of it leaves businesses with more questions than answers, says CEDIA’s new director of research.
“Based on the conversations I’ve had so far, market size and workforce challenges stand out as the biggest gaps in the industry’s knowledge,” Ryan Bardach begins. “There’s a consensus from manufacturers and distributors that different sources report conflicting figures, which makes it difficult to know what to trust. And without looking at longer-term trends, it’s hard to tell whether change is part of a genuine trend or just an anomaly.”
Bardach, appointed last month to lead CEDIA’s new research division, brings seven years of market analysis across B2B, B2C and employee engagement to his new role. Having spent the last three years focused on the power and EV charging sectors, he’s bringing a fresh perspective to the smart home market and building on CEDIA’s global research.
“Each region has generated valuable insights based on the needs of its local market,” he says. “What we're focused on now is creating greater continuity across those efforts. By coordinating research frameworks and key metrics globally, we'll be able to draw more meaningful comparisons between markets, identify emerging trends faster, and build an even more comprehensive picture of the smart home industry worldwide.”
“By coordinating research frameworks and key metrics globally, we'll be able to draw more meaningful comparisons between markets.”
Granular approach
CEDIA’s UK Smart Home Market Analysis Project is one of the first to carry out this methodology, being a size-and-scope study that mirrors one also being conducted in the US. “While the final outputs will be two separate reports, they are designed to closely align,” Bardach explains. “We’ll also be looking for a cross-section of regional experience in each study to combine multiple reliable sources. For example, we ask respondents at the start of the UK survey to indicate their location in detail; whether they’re based in London, Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland, or specific regions in England.
“We can then examine both similarities and differences within that single market. For instance, we can identify what’s happening in London compared to Liverpool or highlight what’s significantly different in Scotland versus other parts of the UK.
“This kind of granular research helps us validate where growth is happening, while also building credibility with integrators who become part of a collective professional voice. When research reflects the realities of businesses and markets, it becomes a more valuable tool for decision-making.”
“When research reflects the realities of businesses and markets, it becomes a more valuable tool for decision-making.”
CEDIA is concentrating its research programme on priority regions such as the UK and US, alongside burgeoning markets like India. But, as Bardach points out, surveying multiple countries presents its own challenges – chief being why commercial differences exist between them, often due to market-specific cultural factors or even legal regulations. “It’s not enough to simply observe differences across regions,” he says. “You also need to understand their underlying cause.”
Extracting opportunity
Having joined CEDIA from outside the industry, Bardach spent his first weeks speaking with business owners, manufacturers, distributors and other stakeholders. “My goal was to understand how they viewed the industry from their individual perspective,” he says. “In nearly every conversation, I asked the same question: what do you most want to learn from market research that you don’t already know?
“In nearly every conversation, I asked the same question: what do you most want to learn from market research that you don’t already know?”
“Interestingly, the most common answer was how big the total market might be. It’s such a fundamental question, yet there’s a great deal of uncertainty around it. There have been studies in the past, from CEDIA as well as other organisations, but the industry evolves so quickly that many people feel those results don’t reflect their experience.”
As such, Bardach thinks one of the biggest opportunities in smart home research stems from long-term patterns rather than annual snapshots. “By looking at longer-term data rather than a single point in time, you can start to identify more meaningful trends,” he says. “Research can help identify emerging opportunities. For example, if a segment such as shading showed strong growth potential, businesses could use that insight to guide future investment and strategic planning."
“By looking at longer-term data rather than a single point in time, you can start to identify more meaningful trends.”
The second recurrent concern in Bardach’s conversations was workforce development. “Recruitment and wages consistently came up, right after market size,” he relates. “This appears to be an industry-wide challenge as companies struggle to find skilled integrators, or even individuals willing to be trained.
“There are also important questions around compensation and hiring strategies. Are companies overpaying or underpaying? Are their recruitment approaches effective, or are other organisations finding more success with different tactics?”
Long-term value
The value of market research, Bardach argues, often needs time to become visible. “That’s part of the challenge,” he reflects. “The benefits are real, but they’re not always immediate. As with most research, conclusion and presentation are still some time away, which highlights the gap between conducting the surveys and realising their value.”
In a fast-paced market where conflicting figures often compete for attention, CEDIA’s research programme is aiming to give confidence back to business decisions. Whether the topic is market size, workforce development or emerging opportunities, the objective remains the same: replacing assumptions with evidence of a concrete and credible kind.
The UK Smart Home Market Analysis Project remains open to industry professionals wishing to contribute their views. Readers can take part in the survey here.
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