Connected Appliances - Large Residential Appliances with Embedded Connectivity: Global Market Analysis and Forecasts, 2024-2033

The integration of large appliances within a smart home sparked the imaginations of many stakeholders when the first models with Wi-Fi became available at retail a few decades ago. Within a few years, many appliance manufacturers were offering connectivity for certain high end product lines. However, connectivity for appliances has failed to live up to its hype.

The prospects for connected appliances are modest. Manufacturers may continue to include connectivity as a feature mentioned in merchandising, regardless of its lack of adoption, to avoid the accusation of not being state-of-the-art. But the current implementation of connected appliances does not generate much customer satisfaction or increase energy efficiency, and efforts to address this situation have been incremental.

Several drivers are associated with connectivity. Remote control and notification have been enabled on some appliances, but customers are largely unexcited about these capabilities and their value is limited by safety concerns. Other valuable capabilities that connectivity could enable are enhanced troubleshooting assistance and information sharing with home energy management systems (HEMS), but manufacturers do not currently offer these options. Narrowly targeted smart home applications involving connected appliances that promise greater safety, security, and convenience and lower energy costs have not had the chance to germinate while the adoption of connectivity is low.

Some appliance manufacturers are doubling down on promoting appliance connectivity. Benefits accrue to manufacturers when they can track how customers use the appliance and enhance the most popular features. Manufacturers can also collect information on how a household uses appliances. With AI, manufacturers can use information on household appliance usage to draw inferences about lifestyle patterns, which can be sold to other companies for better targeting of prospective customers.

The status quo of keeping Wi-Fi connectivity for appliance control and notification might continue indefinitely. However, other companies within the greater smart home ecosystem are starting to offer alternative technologies that have the potential to address some of the capabilities previously associated with connected appliances. Several innovative and well-financed companies are competing aggressively in this area. If their success continues, Guidehouse Insights expects appliance connectivity for energy management to become increasingly less relevant.