Smart home technology was first conceptualized in 1989 and has extensively been promoted for many years ever since. However, even after 30 years since conceptualization, the technology has seen very low penetration levels and consistently missed all market forecasts. The objective of this thesis is to identify different reasons as to why smart home technology has not been adopted yet using innovation resistance theory. We use the innovation resistance framework by Ram and Sheth (1989) and exploratory research to identify all possible reasons for consumer resistance. We then conduct a quantitative study, by sending out online surveys to consumers, to identify which of these factors cause the highest resistance. Multivariate linear regression and other statistical methods were used to analyze the quantitative data. Physical risk, the real-world risks of adopting this technology (including privacy and cybersecurity risks), was the most important barrier to adoption. This was closely followed by economic risk, the risk associated with buying a device, installing it, and paying a monthly subscription fee for it to work. To increase adoption, smart home manufacturers should try to reduce these risks to kick start mass adoption. Because economic barrier includes multiple latent variables (representing different phases of the product), further research is needed to identify which of these different latent variables lead to higher economic resistance. We hope that this study can be used as a guide to help smart home manufacturing companies identify consumers’ most important pain points.

The interest and demand for smart home technologies has increased rapidly during the past few years. Due to factors such as convenience, innovation, flexibility, and security, these products are becoming a bigger part of our everyday life. With the increased demand and need for this technology, companies are working quickly to try to meet this demand and need of their customers. The development is becoming faster and faster, and therefore the risk of security being overlooked has increased. Companies want to meet the demand, and by trying to get the products on the market faster, other aspects might be compromised. A country which is often looked to for development and production of products is China. China is believed to be one of the countries with the most promising future for smart technologies and Internet of Things due to the immense investment put into telecommunications, development of technologies, and supporting infrastructure. The research of this thesis sought to investigate what effects the increased interest and demand for smart technologies has had on companies who are working with smart home technology by conducting a multiple case study on three companies in China which are in the smart home technology industry. With this case study, the perspective from the three companies has been gathered and analyzed. The research resulted in finding out the perception which these three companies have on the rapid development of smart home technologies, and the firsthand effects it has had on their individual company.

No description available.

The presence of Smart Technology is becoming more prevalent in our homes with the rise of the Internet of Things. Although this technology is said to ease everyday chores and make our homes safer, the adoption has been slower than first anticipated by researchers. Studies have shown that the relatively low diffusion of this technology can, to some extent, be explained by cost barriers, technology anxiety, lack of technical ‘know-how’ and the perceived risks associated with a digital upgrade. However, there is surprisingly limited information on homeowners’ willingness to pay for Smart Home Technology (SHT) and, in particular, comfort and security appliances currently on offer on the market. This thesis aims to fill that gap and create a broader understanding of what attributes respondents value when making a purchasing decision. By applying a metric-based conjoint analysis model to primary data collected through a web-based survey, sent to condominium owners in Sweden, the authors of this study show what the optimal Smart Home bundle should comprise of, and how much homeowners are willing to pay. The results show that there is a willingness to adopt premium articles currently on offer on the market although, the willingness to pay for these solutions are relatively low. Moreover, although consumer make a trade-off between different attributes when making a purchasing decision, this study shows that price heavily outweighs other attributes in the case of comfort and security SHTs. A cluster analysis also showed a difference of preferences within the sample set, indicating that companies aiming to sell bundled SHTs should offer a variety of bundles to account for different consumer needs and perceived uses. Additionally, SHT bundles should be complemented with additional services that distinguish the products from other appliances sold on the market. / I samband med den snabba utvecklingen av Internet of Things har Smarta Hem-lösningar blivit en vanligare syn i våra hem. Trots att detta har utvecklingen inte skett lika snabbt som många forskare först förväntat sig. Den relativa låga adoptionsgraden har i litteraturen beskrivits som ett resultat av höga kostnader, en generell skepticism mot den nya tekniken, att hemägare saknar kunskapen som krävs för att installera tekniken, kompatibilitetsproblem mellan leverantörer, och de upplevda riskerna med att koppla upp sitt hem till internet. Trots det breda utbudet av forsknings inom ämnet, saknas studier om vad bostadsägare är villiga att betala för den nya tekniken och, i synnerhet, de säkerhets- och komfort-produkter som idag erbjuds på marknaden. Syftet med den här uppsatsen är därför att undersöka kunders betalningsvilja för paketerade Smarta Hem-produkter och skapa en djupare förståelse för vilka attribut konsumenter värdesätter vid ett köpbeslut. Genom att applicera en Conjoint Analys-modell (Conjoint Analysis Model på engelska) på primärdata insamlad genom en webenkät, som skickats till bostadsrättsägare i Sverige, kan författarna av den här studien visa hur Smarta Hem-lösningar ska paketeras och vad kunderna är villiga att betala för dem. Resultaten visar att konsumenter är intresserade av premium-artiklar så som övervakningskameror, robotdammsugare och smarta högtalare. Däremot är betalningsviljan är relativt låg. Studien visar också att respondenter gör en avvägning mellan olika attribut när de ska köpa en produkt. Jämfört med säkerhet och komfort är pris-attributet av störst vikt när vid ett köpbeslut. En klusteranalys av testgruppen visar också att det finns skillnader i preferenser inom testgruppen. Företag som vill sälja paketerade Smarta Hem-lösningar borde därför diversifiera utbudet för att möta konsumenternas olika behov och erbjuda komplementära tjänster som ökar värdet på utbudet.

This is a qualitative, interpretive research study of how six senior citizens’ aged 70-85 describe their use and need of Smart home technology for their independent living and welfare. Data was collected through technology probing and interviews. Data analysis was done using a thematic method. The research was underpinned by the theoretical model Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2). The research setting was senior citizens’ living in Care housing rented out by the municipality owned company. The findings show that technology is perceived by the senior citizens’ to be something must be taught and takes effort. Senior housing need to be better designed for its senior tenants. It was also found that if technology is used to ensure safety, fall detection for instance, trust and sufficient support is crucial. The findings suggest it could be difficult to assess your own need and to realize when assistance technology is needed. It also found that the use of technology was perceived as being individual and as something that cannot be treated collectively. It was suggested that health professionals do have some influence on the senior citizen and their use of technology. The findings of this study was compared to previous studies and how it relates to the determinants and moderating factors suggested by the theoretical model UTAUT2.

Smart home technology develops at a rapid pace and the smart home of today is only a fraction of what the smart home has the potential to become. The ambition of the smart home is to make the everyday life easier for its residents by increasing comfort, safety, and efficiency. As speech recognition accuracy has increased, voice has become an increasingly popular mean of control within the smart home. Both speech recognition and smart home technology have been listed as important emerging technologies for several years with high expected market growth. However, the adoption is slow and one might wonder whether the technologies are failing to diffuse. Though there is an arena for the technologies to work, and benefits to be utilized, the majority of the Swedish population has not adopted the technologies yet. Why is that? This thesis aimed to determine the diffusion prospects of the smart home controlled by voice by investigating; the current consumer adoption rate of the smart home and the smart home controlled by voice; the consumers’ perceptions of smart home technology and voice as a mean of control; and what adoption barriers might hinder the diffusion. To examine this, a literature review of previously identified adoption barriers was conducted, followed by interviews with both technology experts and consumers with different levels of smart home experience. Based on these, initial hypotheses were extracted on consumer perceptions and adoption barriers of smart home technology. These initial hypotheses were subsequently tested by conducting a survey aimed at Swedish families with dependent children. The survey found the adoption of the smart home to have reached half of the Swedish families with dependent children, while the smart home controlled by voice only has been adopted by one-fifth of the families. The smart home technology was found to have good prospects of continuing the diffusion. However, the perceptions of smart home technology vary between consumer groups, where some groups have more difficulties perceiving a purpose with the technology. Voice was further determined unlikely to be the only mean of control of the future smart home, as voice is not found suitable in all situations. This thesis also identified several adoption barriers and problem areas that might hinder the future adoption of smart home technology. Solving these adoption barriers and problems are crucial to increase the diffusion prospects of the smart home. / Tekniken för det smarta hemmet utvecklas i rask takt och den teknik som finns idag är bara en bråkdel av vad det smarta hemmet har potential att utvecklas till. Målet med det smarta hemmet är att förenkla vardagslivet för de som bor i hemmet genom att erbjuda ökad komfort, säkerhet och effektivitet. I takt med att noggrannheten för taligenkänning ökar har röst som kontrollmedel av det smarta hemmet ökat i popularitet. Taligenkänning och tekniken för det smarta hemmet har i flera år listats som viktiga trender och teknikerna förutspås ha hög framtida marknadstillväxt. Adoptionen har emellertid visat sig vara ganska långsam, vilket ger upphov till funderingar kring om teknikerna håller på att misslyckas. Trots att det finns en arena för att teknikerna ska fungera och fördelar att dra nytta av, så har majoriteten av det svenska folket fortfarande inte adopterat teknikerna. Hur kommer sig detta? Det här mastersarbetet ämnar utvärdera framtidsutsikterna för det smarta hemmet kontrollerat av röst. Arbetet undersöker; dagens adoption av det smarta hemmet och det smarta hemmet styrt av röst; konsumenternas uppfattning av tekniken i det smarta hemmet och av röst som kontrollmedel; samt vilka adoptionsbarriärer som skulle kunna hindra diffusionen av teknikerna. En studie av tidigare litteratur i området genomfördes, följt av intervjuer med både teknikexperter och konsumenter med olika erfarenhet av det smarta hemmet. Baserat på litteraturstudien och intervjuerna kunde initiala hypoteser kring konsumenternas uppfattning av teknikerna samt potentiella adoptionsbarriärer extraheras. Dessa hypoteser testades genom en enkätundersökning riktad mot svenska barnfamiljer. Det fastställdes att adoptionen av det smarta hemmet har nått hälften av Sveriges barnfamiljer, medan enbart en femtedel av dessa familjer adopterat det smarta hemmet styrt av röst. Tekniken för det smarta hemmet har goda förutsättningar för fortsatt diffusionen och adoption. Däremot skiljer sig uppfattningarna av tekniken för det smarta hemmet mellan olika konsumentgrupper. Detta då vissa grupper har svårare att uppfatta ett värde med tekniken. Ser man till styrningen av det framtida smarta hemmet är det osannolikt att röst kommer vara det enda styrsättet, eftersom röstkontroll inte är lämpligt i alla situationer. Detta mastersarbete identifierade även flertalet adoptionsbarriärer och problemområden som riskerar hindra teknikens framtida adoption. Dessa är kritiska att lösa för det smarta hemmets framtida diffusion och adoption.