The global smart shade devices market is expected to grow with the CAGR of approximately 90.4% during the forecast period. The market growth is primarily driven by the increasing demand of smart home devices and increasing adoption of motorized shades etc. Energy efficiency is a factor boosting the market growth. With the smart control of the motorized window shades, it is easy to better manage the temperature and decrease the amount of artificial light in the whole day. Each eco-friendly home is beneficial from a shading solution which actively declines its carbon footprint.
The smart shade solutions usually fall into two major categories: retrofit devices and motorized shades. Motorized shades can raise or lower shades by utilizing remote control device. They combine technologies such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth low energy (BLE) and several other wireless technologies such as Zigbee, Z-wave etc. to link with the motor mechanism as well as automate the movement of the motorized shades. The devices which are utilized for motorized shades can organize numerous windows from one mobile app. Smart shade device can operate with the tough interface through comprising mobile applications which is likely to drive investments in the market during the forecast period. The smart shade device market use to standardize multiple windows from one mobile application. The ability of the smart shade device to operate through an interface in addition to mobile applications. The global smart shades device market is primarily based on automation, IT and digitalization and it impacted global furnishing industry, where new furnishing goods such as window coverings, including blinds and shades, are becoming digitalized and automated. There is rise in demand for shades which are functioned by motorized mechanisms, used both for commercial and residential purposes. Utilization of smart shade products as an energy conserving solutions in smart homes is trending across the market. According to US department of energy, around 35% of energy is lost due to improper window shades. Proper shade management can prevent heat loss or gain by about 22%-77%. According to the Internal Revenue Service, owners of the home using smart shades and other energy conserving devices are liable to receive a credit for 10% of the cost of energy-saving home devices for a lifetime limit of $500. The benefits derived from the use of smart shade devices are expected to increase the demand for smart home devices, particularly for home appliances and home security. Most motorized shades such as Serena (Lutron) provide remote control and app control.
Furthermore, increasing residential and building construction activities is also expected to drive the market growth. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and U.S. census bureau, the privately-owned housing units, started in March 2017 were at a seasonally adjusted yearly rate of 1,216,000 and it is 17.0% more than the rate of March 2016, i.e. 1,077,000. The building unit authorization with 5 units or over was at a rate of 401,000 in March 2017. Thus, increasing residential construction is expected to increase smart shade installations as there is an increasing awareness among the U.S. consumers to employ window covering products which can be controlled automatically with the use of electronic remote control, equipped by smartphones and tablets or with wireless technology. However, some crucial factors such as increasing demand of smart glasses and high cost of motorized shades are acting as a major restraining factor for the market. Motorized shades are costly (each one could be $200 each), plus a supplementary hub or bridge). The high cost of actuators and sensors are leading to increasing cost of motorized shading devices. Moreover, increasing need for energy efficient window coverings and increasing demand in developing countries such as China & India etc. are expected to create opportunity for the market. The growing adoption of IoT devices across the globe due to growing demand for the smart homes is boosting the growth in the global smart shade device market. In study conducted by European Commission it states that the IoT market in EU only is expected to surpass $1.09 trillion by the end of 2020.
The global smart shade devices market is segmented on the basis of end-use and technology. The end-user segment is further classified into residential and commercial. The residential end use segment held major share in 2016 due to high adoption of home automation solution across developed countries such as U.K., France, Germany, and the U.S. The technology segment is further classified into BLE, Wi-Fi, Zigbee and Z-Wave. The Wi-Fi based smart shades held major share in 2016. Wi-Fi networks can be utilized to control shades by a variety of home electronics products comprising tablet, smart phones, lap-top computers and universal remotes.
Geographically, North America held major share in 2015. Increasing adoption of smart home devices, primarily in window coverings and home security are boosting the smart shade devices market in the region. Furthermore, the U.S is one of the largest consumers for smart shades devices aid the market to grow in the North America. Europe has also attributed large share in the global smart shade device market as France, U.K and Germany accounted for major share in the region. However, Asia Pacific is the fastest growing region for smart shade devices as adoption of smart home devices across China, Australia and India is expected to propel the smart shade device market in this region.
The major players included in the report are Pella, Hunter Douglas, SWFcontract, Springs window fashions LLC, MechoSystems, etc. Acquisitions and product launches are the major strategies used by major players to increase their share in the market. For instance: On July 2016, Hunter Douglas has completed the acquisition of Levolor and kirsch window covering brands from Newell Rubbermaid. According to hunter douglas, Levolor is an stimulating inclusion to the Hunter Douglas portfolio which will allow the company to further increase longstanding position under the specialty dealer channel with the strengthened place in the home center channel. The combination of these businesses will enable the company to better service the requirement of each of the distribution channels and consumer market segment.
