Jeff Patton, GM Connected Home Products, GE Lighting, provided insight on several key industry trends ahead of Parks Associates’ 21st-annual CONNECTIONS™ Conference, which will be held May 23-25 at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport:
How is your company engaging consumers through new technology solutions?
GE Lighting is bringing the future to light through a new generation of lighting that is as different from Edison’s first light bulbs as smartphones are from the first telephones. We’re innovating 
ultra-efficient, high-quality and affordable LEDs for every socket and every room in the home. Plus, we’re unleashing the ultimate living experience through a suite of connected lighting products that enable homeowners to do more, be better and connect simply.
What is the biggest change you have seen in the past year in the connected home and entertainment industries?
With the penetration of voice streaming services, the smart home category is no longer relegated to early adopters. Voice streaming is helping propel things like interoperability between systems and products that is also accelerating adoption.
What do you think is the biggest driver for the connected consumer market?
In the next few years, the connected home market is expected to grow threefold. We believe lighting will drive the smart home category forward because:1) Consumers expect the smart home to deliver a simple connected experience – you can’t get much more simple than screwing in a light bulb; 2) Lighting is all around us – the average home has 45 light sockets. That’s more than thermostats, appliances, you name it, which makes the ubiquity of lighting a very powerful connection point.
What is the greatest challenge for the connected home industry in the next year?
Consumers want smart home products to be valuable to them and enable them to do something meaningful. Consumers don’t want tech for the sake of tech. The industry needs to make sure they’ve tested and tested again with consumers to understand how products are received and if they are solving everyday problems. Our connected team uses consumer insights to inform our product development, plus we have living labs in homes throughout the country where we are testing our connected products and are really seeing how consumers are living in this smart world every day.
Patton will speak on the session “Industry Insights: Next Stages of Growth” on Tuesday, May 23 at 2:15 p.m. Joining Patton on the panel are speakers from Nielsen, Concours Ventures, and AmTrust.
For more information on CONNECTIONS™, visit www.connectionsus.com or register by clicking here.
