New research addresses the preference for self-installable solutions in home security market

Parks Associates research finds preference for self-installed systems is growing among US broadband households planning to buy a security system, rising from 18% in 2007 to 29% in 2012 to 36% in 2019. DIY Disruption: Smart Products and Home Security reports that the percentage is even higher among people who actually follow through on their intentions, as 51% of security system owners who acquired their security system in the past 12 months self-installed their system. Though these figures point to a rising trend in DIY preferences, intentions do not translate to sales as intentions may not be fulfilled for a plethora of reasons.

DIY Disruption: Smart Products and Home Security explores the home security market, including current state of adoption and preference for self-installable solutions, consumer interest in smart home products that address security needs, and the impact of these solutions on the traditional security industry.

“As people move from intenders to owners of security systems, they find the cost savings of DIY systems highly attractive—48% of those who self-installed their system did so to save money,” said Dina Abdelrazik, Senior Analyst, Parks Associates. “Among earlier DIY systems, the challenges in installation and setup counterbalanced the cost savings, but current self-install security solutions are designed from the ground up to be installed by the consumer, removing that inhibitor.”

Similar to consumers who have already purchased a system, intenders value cost savings with self-installation. Almost 50% of intenders report that they would like to avoid the hassle of professional installers. Scheduling an installation appointment, waiting for installers, and the privacy lost from installers coming into the home are all barriers to professional installation.

“DIY security systems are fulfilling on the appeal that these systems are easy to install,” Abdelrazik said. “From the security system industry perspective, smart products and DIY systems are woefully inadequate substitutes for a traditional full-blown security system, but for consumers, smart products and DIY systems can make them feel safe and provide similar peace-of-mind value propositions while delivering cost savings.”

Additional research:

• At the end of 4Q 2018, 28% of US broadband households report the presence of an active security system, with 24% having professional monitoring.

• 51% of security system owners that acquired their security system less than a year ago self-installed their system compared to 10% of security system owners that acquired their system more than 6 years ago.

For more information about DIY Disruption: Smart Products and Home Security, contact sales@parksassociates.com. To schedule an interview with an analyst or to request specific research data, please contact Sherrelle Lewis at sherrelle.lewis@parksassociates.com, 972-996-0214.

About Parks Associates

Parks Associates, a woman-founded and certified business, is an internationally recognized market research and consulting company specializing in emerging consumer technology products and services. Founded in 1986, Parks Associates provides business intelligence and research services through its proprietary methodologies developed over decades, including quarterly surveys of 10,000 internet households.

The company's expertise crosses many industries: home security and smart home, streaming video, broadband and pay-TV services, digital media and platforms, gaming, Wi-Fi and home networks, connected health, support, consumer electronics, home control systems, energy management, and tech solutions for the multi-dwelling (MDU), small-to-medium business (SMB), and commercial building markets.

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