How Nest Set the Bar for Smart Home Technology
Photo Credit: Green Energy Futures via Compfight cc
To say that Nest has revolutionized what homeowners expect from their smart home products is an understatement.
After releasing the Nest Thermostat in October of 2011, they’ve received widespread adoption and praise for their ability to take a seemingly boring utility and turn it into a focal point of the home.
Smart Home Technology is one of the hottest trends in Home Improvement Goods, and Nest is arguably doing it better than anyone else. Here are a number of things that we can learn from Nest’s products and their success.
Their Products have a User-Centric Design
Nest has taken the boring (and usually ugly) design of a standard thermostat, and made it sleek and attractive without adding 42 buttons to make it work. This might seem like a no-brainer, but too many home goods products are still unattractive and hard to use.
These days, homeowners care about the smallest details more than ever. It’s time to reassess the look and feel of your products, and identify ways you can improve their visual look and ease of use.
Their Products are Literally Smart
Nest products not only look great, but they have incredibly functionality.
Nest can change the temperature and regulate utilities throughout the home without the consumer needing to do anything, and this is exactly what people want.
Imagine if every device in your home had this level of functionality. It would not only save you money, it would also offer you peace of mind knowing that your home is running efficiently.
Nest utilizes current technology to make their products smarter, which in turn helps create loyal and enthusiastic customers.
We realize that not all smart home products have the opportunity for this kind of enhancement, but the point that we can learn here is that Nest has considered how their products can help their consumers from every imaginable angle, and we should all do the same.
Their Products are Eco-Friendly & Wallet-Friendly
Yes, people care about how they can help the environment, but where Nest has hit a home run is that their products don’t just help the earth by conserving energy, they also help consumers by saving on utilities.
If your products can conserve resources or save consumers money, then you should make this a main focus in your marketing. Nest has a whole page on their site dedicated to how their thermostat saves energy and dollars. You can also see similar diagrams on their packaging.
And if your green, resource-saving products cost a little extra upfront, well the good news is consumers probably won’t mind.
There's an App for That
Let’s be honest, everyone loves being able to sit on the couch and not have to get up to change the temperature. While Nest didn’t invent this kind of integrated experience, they have executed it extremely well.
We’re now seeing all sorts of home products - from door locks to garage doors to light bulbs - being connected to mobile apps that allow people to monitor and use these products more efficiently.
Consumers now expect to be able to operate or monitor your product on their phone. Don’t make them choose a competitor’s product because you don’t have an option for smartphone integration. Better yet, get ahead of the curve by finding new, creative ways to differentiate your products through mobile technology.
Overview
It’s clear that Nest has set the bar pretty high. Their products are sleek, work well, and are extremely focused on the end user.
Nest has demonstrated a formula for creating products that attracts today’s modern shopper to purchase and share their story. Think about how your products could be improved by taking an approach similar to Nest’s.
