Consumers want simplicity, savings and interoperability from IoT networks, a new report has claimed.
Strategy Analytics polled consumers in the United Kingdom and United States to determine the awareness of IoT and what barriers need to be overcome to generate mass market adoption.
Despite the flurry of predictions about billions of connected devices and increase in IoT products, the report said consumer awareness still remains low. However, consumers are most interested in products “that help to solve existing real world problems and learn user behaviours and preferences”.
[Read more – The IoT needs to move beyond “cartoonish” hype, says IMC chair]
Researchers said it was vital that manufacturers demonstrate the long-term benefits of IoT products and solutions, as well as build devices and systems that are easy to use and connect with each other. Almost half said they believed IoT products could benefit their health and well-being.
Consumers’ concerns centred on privacy and security with 80 percent of those surveyed expressing worry about who will get access to their information and what will it be used for.
Other concerns included stability, accuracy and reliability, as well as the potential high costs of solutions.
Christopher Dodge, Associate Director, Media and Services UX Group, and report author, said: “For IoT solutions to be widely adopted, consumers must trust these technologies explicitly; solutions must be compatible for control across all platforms; and full customisation should be available to ensure that the user feels like they are in control of their experience and importantly, their own data.”