Here’s what consumers really want from IoT: CSG survey

IoT
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Consumers have great expectations for the IoT as a wearable experience and a smart home enabler – but they’re also wary of complexity, according to a new global consumer market survey from CSG.

As the IoT becomes increasingly commonplace in the digital world, CSG commissioned a survey evaluating consumer understanding, usage and sentiment about current and future IoT applications to uncover how consumers are most actively taking advantage of the IoT, and where they see IoT-connected devices impacting their lives in the next three to five years.

The survey found that consumers today are wearing their IoT tech. From fitness trackers to smart watches, nearly half (45%) of consumers surveyed own at least one wearable device today. Wearables are also seen as the most important IoT device today by 40% of consumers.

There is also a desire to make the “smart home” a reality. Currently, less than a quarter (23%) of consumers use smart home devices. However, the survey found that more than a third (36%) are interested in testing out connected home applications.

Another key finding: as the IoT gets more complex, consumers want life to get easier. While many IoT devices coming to market today offer cutting-edge advancements or entertaining attributes, consumers want the IoT to have practical application. In fact, the majority (60%) of consumers see the biggest value of the IoT in making life easier.

“With the coming rollout of 5G connectivity, the age of the Internet of Things is beginning to unfold,” said Ken Kennedy, president of technology and product at CSG. “This survey shows that consumers are ready to embrace connected devices and use IoT technology to make their daily lives easier. As the IoT market continues to grow, we will see applications become part of daily life in the home, office environments, and tomorrow’s cities.”

CSG estimates that by 2030, 125 billion connected devices will be part of our daily lives.

For more findings, check out this very big infographic.

CSG IoT survey

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