Tag Archives: Artificial Intelligence

Nov 28 2025
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Rethinking Smart Living

For years, the smart home market has been in a state of flux, promising a future of seamless usability but often delivering a confusing array of hardware and rising costs. Early adopters often became frustrated troubleshooters, grappling with incompatible devices and a confusing array of apps. Now, thanks to the latest developments at IFA 2025 in Berlin, this narrative is taking a turn for the better. There is a renewed sense of promise that this sector can take positive steps forward to become the seamless part of our lives we imagined it would be when we first uttered the words “Hey Google”.

This year’s event provided us with a real insight into the direction some of the biggest players in the sector are heading and the consumer trends they are tapping into. The focus has shifted from novelty to genuine utility, addressing the friction points that held back mass adoption. The market is moving from a collection of gadgets to a cohesive ecosystem.

The UK Market and Key Trends

UK interest in the sector has remained strong, even though initial momentum has plateaued. Ownership of smart products has doubled in the past five years. Knowledge of products is a key factor in the market, and around 80% of UK households have at least one smart home product.

A big part of further adoption is devices that are able to operate with other products, be it other device categories or brands. Matter, the open-source protocol that enables devices from different brands to seamlessly interact, has been a slow burner since its 2022 release. However, its growing importance is as critical to the category’s future as ever. It operates over Wi-Fi and, crucially, Thread, a low-power mesh network where each new device strengthens the entire system’s reliability and speed. Virtually all major brands, including smart lighting partners like Philips, revealed enhanced Matter support in their products at IFA 2025. This move reaffirms their commitment to the protocol and highlights its benefits.

Alongside this element, new AI features are also expected to drive a new wave of smart home interest, as Google has scheduled a Gemini for Home rollout for later this year. The era of the simple, reactive voice assistant is ending, replaced by proactive partners that can handle complex requests like, “Plan a dinner menu based on my smart fridge’s inventory and start a cooking playlist.” At IFA, brands like Aqara showcased AI capabilities for their security cameras, enabling them to better detect people or motion, delivering those insights to the user. The new generation of smart assistants aims to enhance task completion and responsiveness. They are also designed to be more conversational and interactive.

Smart Home Security

The trend in security is about being Proactive and AI-powered. Instead of just passively recording events, modern systems use on-device AI to actively identify specific threats and take deterrent action. This intelligence transforms security from a reactive tool to a preventative one. 

The smart home security market is valued at £31.9 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow to over £114 billion by 2034, showing a strong CAGR of 15.31%.

The Google Nest ecosystem serves as a prime example of this intelligent security. The Nest Cam and Nest Doorbell use sophisticated on-device AI to differentiate between people, packages, animals, and vehicles, ensuring users only receive important alerts. This on-device processing also means faster notifications and enhanced privacy. A key feature is Familiar Face detection, allowing the system to learn who belongs at your home, so it can specifically announce on a Nest Hub or speaker when a family member arrives, or if an unfamiliar face is at the door. This deep integration is key; a motion alert from a Nest Cam in the garden can automatically display its live feed on the Nest Hub in your kitchen, providing immediate context without you needing to reach for your phone.

Smart Lighting

The market has moved beyond simple colour changes to focus on Human-Centric Lighting. This trend is all about wellness, with systems automatically adjusting the colour temperature of light to support the body’s natural circadian rhythm. 

The global smart lighting market is valued at approximately £27.2 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach over £100 billion by 2032. Affordability was also a focus at IFA, with 35% of UK consumers saying that their smart home adoption is hampered by higher costs.

Trending Products:

Philips Hue: Remains the market leader. Its popularity is currently being boosted by wellness-focused products like the Philips Hue Twilight sleep lamp. In a move to address costs, the brand also brought in a new range of lower-priced bulbs starting at £25, which importantly support Matter over Thread connectivity to drive new user adoption.

Nanoleaf: Very popular for its aesthetic, modular light panels like Nanoleaf Shapes. The brand has gained ground by being an early adopter of the Matter and Thread protocols, making its products exceptionally fast and reliable.

Govee: A fast-growing competitor, especially popular with gamers, driven by vibrant, customisable products like the Govee Curtain Lights at an accessible price.

Wearables In Focus

The trend for personal tech has also evolved significantly. Wearables have transformed from fitness trackers into Personal Health Hubs. The focus is on advanced health monitoring and providing actionable insights for sleep and recovery. 

The global wearables market is valued at an estimated £165.7 billion in 2025. While smartwatches are the biggest segment, smart rings are the fastest-growing category.

Trending Products:

Pixel Watch: The Pixel Watch’s Wear OS platform is the intelligent software powering a range of smartwatches. The flagship example is the Google Pixel Watch, which combines helpful Google features like Maps, Wallet, and Calendar on your wrist with deep health integration from Fitbit. It excels at providing a holistic view of your wellness, tracking everything from daily steps and heart rate to advanced sleep analysis with a daily Sleep Score.

Oura Ring: The leader in the smart ring category. The Oura Ring is popular with users focused on sleep quality, using metrics like HRV and body temperature to generate a daily “Readiness Score.” It syncs with Google’s Health Connect, allowing its data to contribute to a user’s overall wellness picture.

Convenience, Savings, and Privacy

One of the biggest draws of smart home technology is the convenience it offers. This sentiment is echoed by industry leaders, who state that “The AI Home isn’t about building a sci-fi house of the future, it’s about those simple wins that make life easier”

This ability to centralise management of devices allows for greater energy efficiency, allowing for utility cost savings which touch upon strong customer sentiment. Since heating accounts for about 55% of household energy use, smart thermostats can learn user habits and adjust heating schedules, potentially saving owners hundreds of pounds a year. This extends to smart plugs, cutting power to standby devices and appliances running during cheaper, off-peak hours.

As these systems integrate into our lives, privacy has become paramount. In response, the industry is shifting to on-device processing, where powerful chips inside devices like a Google Nest Cam analyse data locally instead of sending it to the cloud. This keeps personal data within the home, enhancing privacy and response speed. Brands now compete not just on features, but on their commitment to transparent security policies, a key factor in purchasing decisions.

With the UK smart home market set for an annual growth rate of 10% through to 2029, up to around £14bn, there is a huge market for brands to get involved with if they can marry up their products and ecosystems to the key consumer trends. The real promise is a convenient smart home that works seamlessly, saves money, and respects user privacy.

To read the published article by Rupert Cook, Marketing Director, please visit ERT

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Mar 01 2024
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Good CX cannot exist without good staffing

The recent Centre for Retail Research figures showed that around 120,000 retail jobs were lost last year. While some job losses could not be avoided as behemoths of the UK’s high street collapsed, other retailers are reducing staff numbers to cut overhead costs and align with reduced footfall. But what does this mean for customer experience? And how could that impact retailers’ ambitions?  

The truth is that cutting staff overheads requires a careful balance to maintain good experience for the customer, whatever sector(s) you’re working in. If you have too many staff members, then revenue will struggle to cover operational costs, which is devastating in a sector with increasingly tight margins. At the same time, with too few staff you will struggle to deliver against expectations, in terms of customer experience, sales volumes or both. 

There are issues for companies either way, but having too few staff could be catastrophic for businesses that are already precariously close to the edge. From managing staff morale and turnover, to making big-ticket sales and generating loyalty, there’s a lot to consider. Furthermore, the human interaction that physical retail offers is one its principal USPs over the online shopping experience.

Burnout and lose out

In a global survey by McKinsey, an average of one in four employees were experiencing signs of burnout, resulting in cynicism, exhaustion, and emotional distance. Understaffing, resulting in overwork and poor working conditions, can often be a significant factor in burnout, often affecting multiple team members who are left to pick up the slack. 

Not only can undervalued and demotivated staff have the obvious impact on customer service, long-term understaffing is likely to lead to higher turnover, and the resulting loss of knowledge and skills that can help drive sales and deliver a more engaging customer experience.  It is not just the experience (and its impact on sales) to consider though. 

A little encouragement goes a long way

When it comes to considered purchases, consumers are unlikely to part with a sizeable proportion of their monthly budget on products and services based merely on a snap impulsive decision. When it comes to ‘big-ticket’ items or other considered purchases, particularly in the retail sector, our own research reveals that around one in five (18%) of consumers will head to a physical store to seek expert advice. But what happens when they get to the store, and the experience isn’t quite what they had hoped based on a lack of service, attentiveness, knowledge or customer journey.

Of course, staffing is always about balance, whatever sector you work in, but having too few staff or poorly trained team members could result in lost sales, your customer heading to a competitor or worse, not buying into a brand at all based upon their experience. When we’re talking about products like TVs, white goods, sofas etc. developing the customer journey is essential to secure sales. In the current climate, making cuts is inevitable but if you are reducing staff levels to the point where you can no longer fulfil customer needs, your customers may just stop shopping with you all together.

Innovation only increases staffing needs 

Looking at some of the products coming out of CES – LG’s transparent OLED TV, virtual reality headsets and microwaves in handbags – and thinking about our general societal shift towards smart devices and products, the need for knowledgeable staff will be essential for providing a good customer experience, and ultimately developing new and existing categories through sales.

Products are becoming more complex every year, and there is more choice. For many consumers, the wide array of brands, products and features can be overwhelming, and that is where customer experience becomes even more important. While they will research products online, many people like to head into a physical store to see the products in person and get some guidance, support as well as reassurance before making a considered purchasing decision.

Investment in training is essential to develop the customer journey and brand experience, which enhances staff retention due to personal development and job satisfaction. In many cases, brands are taking things into their own hands, as they have done for many years, by installing trained staff into stores to ensure that their products are well-explained to customers seeking help, owning the customer journey. 

Work smarter, as well as leaner

The brands and retailers that get it right and enable customers to get the support they need – whether that is in-person or online – will ultimately win out. Once consumers feel an affinity with a particular store or brand, they will return if they receive consistency and service that they enjoy and can trust. 

To read the published article written by Dan Todaro, Managing Director please visit CXM

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Jan 19 2024
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CES 2024 – The Weird and Wonderful

Source: IGN

Each year, CES arrives to inaugurate the year with awe-inspiring technology that leaves us amazed. Yet, amidst the spotlight, there’s also the eccentric, under-the-radar technology that captures the hearts and minds of onlookers. This blog post aims to highlight some of the peculiar and fascinating technologies featured at CES 2024.

  1. Starting off, we have one of the more unique products unveiled at this year’s CES – ‘Flappie,’ designed to prevent cats from bringing unexpected “gifts” inside. Conceived by Swiss brothers, their innovative cat flap was inspired by their mother’s challenges in deterring family cats from bringing mice into the house. The flap includes a manual locking system with a chip detection feature, ensuring it opens only for the specific owner’s microchipped pet. Additionally, it boasts internet connectivity, enabling users to operate the door and review camera footage via a smartphone app. This device operates through AI, detecting when the cat is carrying something in its mouth and withholding unlocking the cat flap until the “gift” is dropped. This groundbreaking cat flap is set to retail for £310.
 Source: Flappie
  1. Introducing the Rabbit R1, a standout product from CES 2024 that has sold out twice within just 48 hours. The Rabbit R1, measuring half the size of an iPhone 15, boasts impressive features such as 4GB of memory, 128GB of storage, and a powerful 2.3GHz MediaTek processor. Unlike traditional devices, the Rabbit R1 does not host conventional apps; instead, it operates entirely on an AI platform, specifically the Large Action Model.

    This innovative device is designed to offer users a more focused and less intrusive digital experience. Responding to voice commands, the Rabbit R1 can perform a wide range of activities, including booking rides, managing household tasks, and providing answers to queries. As an AI-centric device, it has the capability to be trained and taught to execute specific commands.

    Currently priced at £159, the Rabbit R1 redefines the user experience by combining compact design, powerful performance, and AI-driven functionality.
Source: Rabbit R1
  1. Introducing the AX Visio by Swarovski Optik. While they may resemble ordinary binoculars, these boast sophisticated internal technology. Gone are the days of lugging around wildlife identification books during your wilderness adventures. These binoculars feature an ingenious capability that lets you identify up to 9,000 species by simply observing them through the lenses. Priced at £3,820, this product caters to a niche market, likely targeting professionals or passionate wildlife enthusiasts, given its premium cost.
Source: Swarovski Optik
  1. Now, let’s explore Visage, a contender in the realm of smart door locks. Departing from the conventional models that rely on Bluetooth or phone taps, Visage elevates the experience by introducing biometric authentication and secure access. Simply allow the built-in camera to scan your face for a hands-free unlocking process. This innovative door lock supports up to 100 profiles, enabling every family member to effortlessly access the front door using facial recognition. It’s especially convenient for moments like returning from a grocery run with hands full. Lockly’s Visage is slated to hit the market this summer with a retail price of around £275.
Source: Lockly
  1. Introducing the Vasco Translator E1 – an AI earpiece paired with a connected app, seamlessly translating 49 languages in real time. Say goodbye to the struggles of inaccurate translations and clunky language apps. This innovative device eradicates language barriers, facilitating fluid conversations in real time for up to 10 participants. As the icing on the cake, enjoy free lifetime connectivity for translations wherever you go. Anticipated to launch in Q2 2024, pricing details are currently unavailable. Get ready to experience a new era of effortless communication. 
Source: Vasco Translator

Concluding our showcase of 5 Weird and Wonderful gadgets emerging from CES 2024. This year once again brought forth astonishing technology, spanning from Transparent TVs to AI Cat Flaps. Until next year!

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Dec 27 2018
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Consumers want ‘real people not robots’ from retailers

IPM Blog

A study launched by Gekko titled ‘Service not Sci-fi’, reveals that UK shoppers would rather deal with real people not robots or artificial intelligence when it comes to shopping.

The study found that 81% of UK shoppers claim the personal touch has disappeared from retail customer service in modern Britain, with almost a third (32 percent) blaming an over reliance on technology for this decline. Half of those polled think that companies in the UK are using technology to save money, rather than improve customer experience.

Despite living in a world driven by technology, most people don’t want technology at the sacrifice of humans’ opinions and experience.  Only 30 percent said they would like to see ‘smart pricing’ initiatives adopted by retailers, where prices change in real time depending on demand, 22 percent smart mirrors that show a 360 view of themselves, 16 percent a virtual reality changing room, 14 percent augmented reality to help visualise products in the home and 9 percent a talking robot assistant.

When it comes to buying online, 43 percent of UK shoppers have had their screen freeze while trying to make a purchase, so when asked what makes a great bricks and mortar shopping experience, 49 percent of those polled said it was down to having good staff on the shop floor, staff that know the products (49 percent) and staff that go the extra mile (47 percent). Coupled with this, 61 percent of the nation would prefer to deal face to face when complaining, 59 percent when enquiring or trying to find out more about a product and 73 percent when getting a refund.
And businesses take heed – a third of Brits say that the personal touch is more likely to make a repeat purchase, and more than a fifth (22 percent) claim they always spend more money in a shop if they are served by a good assistant, incrementally adding to sales. Over a third (34 percent) of shoppers stated that a poor experience has driven them to buy from another retailer.

The research also highlights the impact of the decline of the local shop, with a quarter of Brits saying they miss shopping somewhere where people recognise them, 16 per cent confessing they preferred the days when they could talk through a purchase with a someone in-store, and a quarter saying online shopping is less fun than buying something in a real shop.  The convenience of a store’s location is also stated as important by 43 per cent of respondents which means that as retailers consolidate their estates, many will notice the effects, further emphasising the need to carefully consider the experience being provided in-store and the staff needed to deliver the experience.

According to the research, we waste almost an hour and a half a month – which is 17 hours a year, the equivalent of more than two days at work – interacting with automated technology, only for a human to have to step in and help.

Bug bears include getting someone to rectify a problem with the self-service checkout, and ringing customer services and dealing with a recorded voice, only to repeat the details to the person you end up talking to.

It’s little wonder, then, that 51 percent of Brits have slammed the phone down during an automated call, as the system didn’t recognise what they were saying.  And 47 percent of shoppers have experienced self-service checkout failure that’s had to be rectified by a shop assistant.

In fact, more than three quarters (77 percent) of UK shoppers admit they’d much rather use a checkout with a person on it, rather than taking the self-service option.  More than 4 in ten (43 percent) British shoppers would rather speak to a person than an automated system when making a phone enquiry, with almost a quarter (23 percent) ending up having to complain on social media when their query hasn’t been responded to via the automated service.

Daniel Todaro, MD of Gekko said: “Everyone is talking about technology and innovation within retail, but our research clearly shows that what consumers really want is the human touch.  With traditional retail under more pressure than ever and an astonishing 81% of people feeling that the personal touch has disappeared from shopping, businesses need to focus on the customer experience in these tough trading times to help keep the high street alive.”

To read more visit IPM Bitesize.

To read the full results of our ‘Service not Sci-Fi’ research visit the Gekko Research Page.

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Dec 19 2016
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Market intelligence

amazon-echo-banner

The term AI is being bandied about in all forms of media, but do many people actually understand how Artificial Intelligence is now becoming part of the consumer-electronics landscape in some of the most everyday products – almost making smart technology seem old hat by comparison.

The reality is that in order for AI to function, you need smart devices to metaphorically ‘join the dots’ to create an AI solution that works for you in your environment.

Probably the most recognised mainstream AI product to come to market is the Amazon Echo, which is expected to sell three million units in 2016, with forecasts of 10m for 2017. You’ll know the product – it’s that black cylinder with a blue pulsating light on top, promoted through those awful adverts where some chap asks Alexa to add tennis balls and dog biscuits to his shopping list.

In essence, Amazon Echo and its sibling Dot – which has no speaker but effectively does the same thing – are intended to be your assistant, connecting all your smart devices.

Combined with other IoT products, Echo enables you to voice-control your heating, lights, online orders, music streaming and on-demand services like Uber.

It’s impressive stuff, but you’ll always have to ask for Alexa, prefacing all requests with her name, which may make you feel somewhat daft. After all, the only device I want to talk to is my phone, as part of a conversation with a human being. I’m sure I’ll adapt to AI over time. Generations younger than me and in the future will think this the norm – making AI a surefire success and as commonplace in the home as a TV or a tablet.

While Amazon’s product is reasonably priced, its users have fed back so far that 87 per cent are satisfied with the device. Eighty-five per cent use Echo to set alarms, 82 per cent to play music, and two-thirds ask for news updates. Overall, 39 per cent of Echo users plan to increase their usage as support grows for the platform, which will be intrinsically linked to bolstering Amazon’s revenues.

This remains unlikely, however, when you consider what’s coming next – Google Home. The future of AI in the home is way more than just a ‘smart speaker’, as the category is being tagged. This innovation outclasses all other mainstream AI devices when you consider its compatibility across all Google platforms, including YouTube, Google Maps and third-party streaming services such as Netflix and Open Table. Finally, it’s compatible across all OS devices, but complemented by all ‘Made by Google’ devices from Pixel to Chromecast.

Google Home changes the game by setting the state of play in the ‘smart speaker’ category, taking it to the next level and setting the benchmark many will struggle to follow.

AI is a mainstay, not a gimmick, which will intrinsically evolve with your devices, appliances, streaming platforms and all forms of entertainment. Alongside VR, it’s the next big thing estimated to become a $2 billion-plus category by 2020 that you can’t afford to ignore.

With an estimated $400 million being invested in 2016 on content development, the industry has established Virtual Reality as a credible platform over and above Sony’s PlayStation VR, which is estimated to sell 2.6 million units in 2016 alone.

What VR will potentially help is declining PC sales, as users transition to tablets and phablets. With an eight per cent decline in global PC sales, it’s unlikely that VR will fill the gap, however it will assist in particular within the PC gaming category.

VR will, it’s believed, be a $50bn industry by 2021, with only half of that generated from gaming. So the rest is to play for, with smartphone adoption accounting for seven per cent of the market, but interestingly achieving a higher volume due to the low cost of VR equipment. Those familiar with VR will know Cardboard, which has been around, in tech years, for ages. But now we have Google Daydream, a device that yet again changes the market with innovation, design and distribution only challenged by the Samsung Gear (Oculus).

Whichever way you view it, both VR and AI are here to stay and the new kids on the block are stealing a march. There was a time that many thought these innovations would come out of Infinite Loop, instead it’s evolving from Mountain View and Terry Avenue. For the times they are a-changin’.

 

Read more at: http://ertonline.co.uk/opinion/market-intelligence/

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