Greg Roberts, Vice President of Marketing at Icontrol Networks, answers the following industry questions prior to the 2015 CONNECTIONS Europe Conference event taking place 10-11 November in Amsterdam:

What challenges does Europe face with rolling out new smart home and connected entertainment services?

We see great potential in the European market, but to succeed, companies need to define a smart home value proposition that is appealing to a European marketplace vs. a North American one. Companies will also need to present this value in a way that is specifically targeted to the European consumer to drive momentum in the marketplace.

What do you see as the biggest challenge facing your company in the next 12 months?

As with many companies in the smart home space, lack of consumer education is one of the biggest challenges. We find that when people adopt the technology, they can’t imagine life without it – but, hooking them with a unique value proposition is the toughest part, particularly since there are so many value propositions when it comes to smart home.

How will companies leverage the growth in the market in the next 12 months? What is the impact of the Internet Giants (Google, Amazon) getting involved in the market?

It’s great that larger companies are helping raise awareness among customers- the industry should continue to stay focused on making the smart home more transparent to the end user so it eventually becomes part of their everyday lives. Additionally, we need to work together to help alleviate any interoperability issues and make the adoption of the technology as smooth as possible.

Greg will be giving the opening keynote speech at CONNECTIONS Europe 10 November at 10:15, titled “The EU vs. U.S Smart Home Market: Differences and Opportunities.” 

For more information on the agenda for CONNECTIONS Europe, visit www.connectionseurope.com.

Next: Smart home services are a new frontier: Insights from Viaccess-Orca
Previous: 72% of broadband households in Spain watch OTT Video

Be the first to leave a comment.

Have a comment? Login or create an account to start a discussion.