The smart home market is running in Italy reaching the value of 650 million euros in 2021, up 29% compared to 2020, beyond the pre-pandemic levels.
Growth could have been higher (+ 45%) without the shortage of semiconductors and raw materials, which accounted for 75 million euros in lost sales.
It emerges from the research on the Smart Home of the Internet of Things Observatory of the School of Management of the Politecnico di Milano.
The market is driven by connected appliances (135 million euros), smart speakers (130 million), security solutions (125 million), connected boilers, thermostats and air conditioners for heating and air conditioning (110 million), followed by loudspeakers, light bulbs, smart plugs and devices to manage awnings and shutters remotely.
According to the research, Italy is still far from the top European leaders, which are the United Kingdom, with a market of 4 billion euros (+ 43%), Germany at 3.9 billion (+ 37%). ), and France at 1.3 billion (+ 16%).
The concept of Smart Home is increasingly known by Italians: 74% of consumers have heard of it at least once and 46% have at least one smart object in their home, a figure that is constantly growing compared to the previous three years.
2021 also marks a growth in all sales channels, with the strongest recovery for the traditional supply chain (+ 40%, 245 million euros), thanks also to state incentives (Ecobonus above all), but also the eRetailers who have continued to ride the push for online purchases (+ 25%, 225 million euros) and multichannel retailers, which recovered from the decline in Covid (125 million euros, + 29%).
From robot vacuum cleaners to air purifiers, sales are booming for some types of household appliances, which lead the market with a share of 21% and a growth rate of + 35%.
But the area that is growing the most is that represented by connected boilers, thermostats and air conditioners for the management of heating and air conditioning (+ 45% on 2019), favored in particular by the sale of numerous connected boilers, often combined with smart thermostats, who benefit from Superbonus and Ecobonus incentives, and from the possibility of obtaining benefits in terms of energy saving and comfort.
Security solutions are recovering strongly (+ 20%): a market driven by cameras, sensors for doors or windows and connected locks, even if there are more and more offers linked to subscriptions that allow you to store images and video, to make automatic emergency calls or activate emergency services in the event of an alarm.
In the future, the consumer places home safety first among the reasons that would contribute to the choice to buy smart objects (44% of respondents).
"The consumer is increasingly interested in the possibility of remotely managing smart objects at home and activating advanced services and functions - explains Angela Tumino, Director of the Internet of Things Observatory -. In the future, 77% of those who want objects smart is interested in activating new services, such as energy consumption analysis, installation and assistance / maintenance ".