Smart Home or Casa Grande? A question that Italians seem to answer in a way that is, in some ways, surprising.
A more connected, easy to manage and efficient environment, in which smart devices take on an increasingly central role. This is how Italians imagine their home, according toinvestigation of LG Electronics conducted by NielsenIQ “Innovation at home”, launched on the occasion of 25 years of LG’s presence in Italy.
Technology has gained more and more space in our homes, so much so that 1 in 2 respondents would prefer to give up a bigger house in order to have a Smart Home.
This orientation is the result of a long process of changing habits to which LG has contributed, in the last 25 years, by bringing innovative and easy-to-use technological products into the homes of Italians.
Just think of smart TVs (LG has introduced 8 million in the last 10 years alone) equipped with an operating system with its own and third-party AI (Google Home, Amazon Alexa); or the AI DD washing machines which, thanks to Artificial Intelligence, recognize the different garments and choose the best washing solution, while maintaining high energy efficiency, which has always been a distinctive element of the LG offer.
The role of smart devices
The need to have smart devices at home is particularly evident among the youngest (68%) and among those who live in the South (65%).
The benefits? Greater efficiency for 51%, comfort for 49%, ease of management, entertainment for 35%.
Moreover, if according to 55% of the interviewees up to 25 years ago the kitchen was the home that gathered the family around it, today 51% declare that they have increasingly moved to the living room.
One of the reasons for this changed preference was certainly the ability of living room appliances to become the center of sociality in the home, just think of the entertainment capacity of LG TVs which, thanks to the WebOS operating system, offer dozens of integrated applications capable of meet the entertainment needs of the whole family: from children, to sports lovers, from cinema enthusiasts to music-lovers.
Outsider bedroom, which has earned the dignity of a space to live and no longer exclusively intended for sleep, rising from 8 to 19%, also thanks to devices such as audio speakers that have allowed you to actively experience the time spent in these rooms.
“Over the last 25 years, technological innovation has undoubtedly changed the homes of Italians by improving and simplifying them – he comments Chiara Magelli, Consumer Insight Leader of NielsenIQ Italia. – Smart devices and appliances have contributed to this process, carving out a central role in everyday life and with even better premises for the future ».
TV, the king of the house
Among smart speakers, vacuum cleaners, washing machines and refrigerators, in Italian homes today there are at least 10 electronic devices, of which at least 3 are smart.
Among these, the device that for the interviewees it must inevitably be smart is the TV: the 71% of the respondents.
After all, the TV market confirms this trend by showing a growing predisposition to the purchase of increasingly smart TVs, increasingly technologically advanced (see the growth of OLED technology) and increasingly large, demonstrating that the TV must be the king of home.
In the ranking of smart products that we should definitely have at home, after the TV we find: the computer (desktop or laptop) with 62%, smart speakers for 33%, air conditioning for 28%, followed by washing machine (26%) and refrigerator (18%).
“25 years ago we brought our vision of technology to Italy, which is developed on three assets: innovation, well-being, artificial intelligence” he comments Sergio Buttignoni, Corporate Marketing Director of LG Electronics Italia. “Our goal is to offer advanced products that make people’s daily lives easier. This commitment has guided us since we entered the market and will continue to be our priority also in the future ».
The future is smart
How do Italians imagine the house of the future? An environment where smart devices they will fully manage the household chores is the desire of the youngest (65%),
However, if the need to free oneself from the burden of household chores is very accentuated, the future vision of technology is all oriented towards one’s personal well-being. In fact, among the household appliances considered most important if you think about the next 10 years, the air conditioner stands out, chosen by 44% of the interviewees, followed by the television (42%), and only subsequently by the refrigerator (39%) and the washing machine (35%).
Much more than the desire to be helped around the house with household chores, therefore, a prevails desire to live in a comfortable environment (thanks to the air conditioners) and to be pleasantly entertained (thanks to the television).
And it is precisely towards TV that the expectations of Italians in terms of technological advancement are concentrated: the greater expectations of the interviewees are oriented towards TV (46%), the Refrigerator (40%) – with particular attention from the 55 segment. / 65 years -, the washing machine (36%) and the air conditioning (33%).
To meet this type of need, LG has introduced LG DUALCOOL Atmosphere, the air conditioner that integrates advanced air purification functions, such as the removal of micro-polluting particles, to help make the home environment even healthier and the range of purifiers equipped with AirCare Complete System ™, the complete filtration system that keeps both the air emitted by the air conditioner fresh and clean. air is the unit itself.
Functionality and design
The design of a smart device is no less important than its functionality:
6 out of 10 Italians believe it is important that their devices are also aesthetically pleasing, a need most felt among young people (66%) and which even goes as far as to guide the purchase choices on beautiful but not functional products, as chosen in particular by residents in the North East of Italy.
Appliances, in terms of Smart Home and more, have become part of home furnishings and this element has also increasingly guided the development of the products that LG has proposed on the market over 25 years: from the LG InstaView refrigerator. , which allows you to watch the contents inside without opening it, to OLED TVs that are only 3mm thin, from the ARTCOOL air conditioner, which can be used as a picture, to the iconic LG Styler multifunction smart cabinet.
After 25 years of presence in Italy, LG Electronic continues to confirm its role as a pioneer of technological innovation with an ecosystem of devices capable of simplifying people’s lives, allowing them to save time and energy, without sacrificing style.