Ikea’s Smart Blinds Move Smart Home Forward

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1Q 2019 | IN-5429

In February, the global furniture and homeware phenomenon IKEA began selling its first wireless-controlled window coverings. Until now the company has focused its smart home efforts primarily on smart lighting. News of the planned smart blinds had initially leaked last year, but their arrival in stores confirmed starting prices of around US$100, undercutting all but the most DIY of efforts. The move comes after years of only moderate smart blind uptake, but Ikea’s decision is a key step forward not just for these types of devices but for the ongoing development of smart home technology.

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Ikea Adds Blinds to Its Smart Home Range

NEWS


In February, the global furniture and homeware phenomenon IKEA began selling its first wireless-controlled window coverings. Until now the company has focused its smart home efforts primarily on smart lighting. News of the planned smart blinds had initially leaked last year, but their arrival in stores confirmed starting prices of around US$100, undercutting all but the most DIY of efforts. The move comes after years of only moderate smart blind uptake, but Ikea’s decision is a key step forward not just for these types of devices but for the ongoing development of smart home technology.

Europe First, but the United States to Follow

IMPACT


Ikea’s new Smartshades line comprises two versions, both of which have an on-board motor, a removeable, rechargeable battery, and embedded wireless connectivity. The Kadrilj model utilizes standard blind material, while the Fyrtur is the same design but made of blackout material. Availability will be limited, at least initially, by region, as European customers will see both variations, but there are currently only plans for the Kadrilj model in the United States. However, the company appears to have run into some issues following its first sales. The shades are no longer available in the first select European stores and availability, originally slated for April 1, 2019, in the United States has now been pushed to August 2019, which looks likely to be the date for a return to the European market as well. For its part the company cites, according to reports, “an opportunity for improved functionality” for the delay.

As with Ikea’s lighting and other offerings, ZigBee is used for the blinds to communicate with the existing Trådfri gateway already sold for smart lighting installations. The blinds can also be operated through the TRÅDFRI app as well as through a remote control device shipped with the blinds. The app enables routines linked with other smart home applications to be set for operating the blinds. Ikea has also ensured that voice control of the new Smartshades is also supported, with support for Apple Homekit and Amazon Alexa. Ikea has been working to extend Trådfri support for Google Home as well. As well as the new blinds and its smart lighting range, Ikea also ships its own motion sensor, smart plug, and a remote-control device.

Prices for the Kadrilj blinds start at US$119 (£90) and increase according to size, maxing out at US$172 (£130) for the largest size, which comes out to US$158. Pricing for the Fyrtur blackout smart blinds are slightly higher, ranging from $145 (£110) to US$198 (£150).

Ikea Brings Scale, Pricing, and Interoperability, but There's Still More

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Ikea’s move to offer smart blinds brings staggering potential in turns of market and customer reach. The brand operates 422 stores in 54 countries around the world, with another 14 countries set to be added this year. In 2018, Ikea and its franchises reported sales of US$44.12 billion (€38.8 billion). In addition, last year Ikea registered nearly 1 billion consumer visits to its brick and mortar stores and 2.5 billion visits to its online stores. Although the blinds have not be launched for all these stores, Ikea will be introducing millions of consumers to a smart home category that few will have considered before.

However, it is not just the potential reach and breath of Ikea’s investment alone. Almost uniquely among smart home systems, window coverings have remained the domain of high-end systems with prices to match. Specialist players, such as Hunter Douglas, have long offered wireless-controllable options, but with professional installation and at prices geared to the luxury market. Sold through installers systems and installation, smart blinds can cost upwards of US$1,000 per window. Such pricing stifles the kinds of mass market scale we have seen develop for smart lighting or smart thermostats. Less expensive options have come to market, such as the Serena range Lutron launched in 2014, but a basic single blind can cost up to US$500 and still require additional spending for the remote controller. Ikea’s pricing, although still at a significant premium to non-connected blinds, and its focus on simple self-installation makes smart blinds a more affordable option for a far larger market.

Ikea is not alone seeing the potential for low-cost smart blinds. FlipFlic, MySmartBlinds, and Brunt were startups that gained enough support to blow through their fundraising goals on Kickstarter since just 2016. However, FlipFlic and Brunt, both no longer operating, developed add-ons for existing blinds that extended smart home control to limited blind operations. For its part, MySmartBlinds sells custom connected blinds from its US website priced at around US$270 per blind. Wireless control extends to tilting the horizontal slats rather than raising and lowering the covering.

So, though Ikea’s channel reach and greater device affordability will have significant impact on the awareness and adoption of smart blinds, ABI Research believes the impact will reach further. Opening and closing blinds is a daily chore for many and one that when automated or operated through a voice command can readily appeal to many consumers. The ability to link automated window blinds, along with lighting, into energy management or home security applications was always at the heart of traditional home automation systems. Now that functionality is coming to the smart home systems that have dispersed so much of that functionality to lower-priced, self-install smart home devices.

Voice control front-end platforms, such as Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri have pushed smart home system management capabilities into homes, many of which have no other smart home devices. The appeal for many of those homes to raise and lower blinds by voice command should be clear. With the ability to inform and deliver such systems, Ikea may well help bring a new swathe of homes into the market for these and additional smart devices.

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