The increased adoption of smart and voice-activated devices, coupled with fast broadband, is directing home entertainment trends, as consumers increasingly demand higher-quality products, greater convenience, and richer experiences.
The pandemic has accelerated these home entertainment trends. With more hours spent at home, people are looking for ways to improve their home and leisure time, often investing in new entertainment products much sooner than in previous years.
At the same time, as the pandemic pushed consumers to use more technology and durable (T&D) products, it has bolstered consumer confidence in technology. And this is triggering a change in how humans and machines interact.
Home entertainment trends: Looking back at the past 5 years
Innovation, premiumization, and performance have dominated home entertainment trends in recent years, as consumers increasingly favor having fewer, higher-quality entertainment products. GfK data from 2019 shows almost half preferred to own fewer but better technological devices.
according to GfK’s latest Telecom Trend Report, screen quality is among the top three most important features that consumers consider when buying a new smartphone.
Listening to music, watching videos or playing games on the go has long been an important part of consumer interaction with their mobile device, contributing to strong growth in wireless earbuds that allow for privacy, more mobility, comfort, and style.
GfK data on trending entertainment products shows true wireless earbuds achieved a triple-digit increase in 2019, and nearly every second headset sold was wireless. That’s twice as high as their share in 2018. High fidelity has also been growing in importance, with the turnover of soundbars increasing year on year.
At the same time, cloud storage is becoming mainstream as it has given people greater convenience and flexibility.
Users can store and access data on the go, via the internet and fast connections, without having to tap into their own computer’s hard drive.
Advancements in technology have had a domino effect
Consumer demand for speed, efficiency, and convenience, coupled with greater emphasis on quality, has prompted brands to innovate with newer technologies and content formats. Everything from voice recognition and 5G-enabled devices to augmented and virtual reality is enabled by cloud computing, faster internet speeds, and more recently, the launch of 5G.
Increasingly, devices have the ability to react to voice, changing the way that people control and interact with technology. Entertainment consumer goods products, for example, are now often compatible with voice assistants like Amazon Alexa or Google Home, enabling users to command multiple connected devices verbally from a single hub. Sales of voice-controlled devices saw explosive growth of almost 61% in 2020, making them one of the year's best sellers.