They also believe that the introduction of lower priced solutions in home automation, lighting control and energy management will result in a significant increase in sales and allow the industry to evolve into new markets that are currently stifled by higher price points and low consumer acceptance.

Push Controls managing director Ben Green believes the new tech-savvy consumer is changing the way specialist retailers must approach their business.

“We are finding that consumers are now demanding more. The smartphone has triggered an awareness that technology is now accessible, affordable and able to become part of their day to day lives. The growth opportunities in this market are no longer being led by the retailers, they are now being governed by the consumer,” Ben says.

Other interesting data to emerge from this survey indicates that retailers, who have embraced the new market opportunities for home automation, have significantly raised their average sale, with some stores reporting an increase of up to 200%.

As one Melbourne specialist retailer says, “Affordable automation has and will continue to positively impact our business as we can now offer a much wider range of products and services, rather than just selling AV alone”

Another Queensland integrator says, “I believe that the next big challenge for our industry will be to shift our own mindset to match the modern consumer. We have moved beyond ‘want’ into a new market of ‘need’. Customers have already bought all of the AV gear they ‘wanted’, now they are ‘needing’ to take control of these devices and manage all things from the humble TV through to the home itself. This is what we are being asked for and this is what we must deliver.”

Ben adds, “When you have over 50% of the population concerned with rising electricity costs, our industry has an obligation to provide a simple cost effective solution to that need. We can choose to either embrace or resist but we should never question what the customer wants. What our recent survey has highlighted, is that there is still a disconnect between customer needs and retail offerings.”

Having recently been awarded the “Best Budget Automation System of 2012”, Push Controls is now shifting its attention to these new emerging markets in energy management and affordable lighting control.

The company intends to incorporate these new technologies seamlessly into the new user interface systems, to be launched at CEDIA in May.