LAS VEGAS— CES 2018, to be held here January 9 to 12, will continue to see a focus on connected home and wellness products. In addition, the show will see an additional 200 companies join its Eureka Park, a space dedicated to startups in the technology industry, with 800 exhibitors registered to attend in 2018.
The housewares industry continues to tap into the growth potential of connected devices, which, according to the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), owner of CES, are projected to reach U.S. sales of 635 million units in 2017, a record high and 6% year-over-year increase from 2016.
Housewares vendors are expected to launch the next iteration of these technologies and those closely related to the smart home and personal care and wellness categories at next year’s show.
The show features areas that highlight these categories, such as the Health & Wellness Marketplace, and this show will see even more focus on those segments.
For example, during its CES Unveiled New York event, the CTA said sports technology is projected to become a $76 billion industry by 2020.
Due to this growing interest in the health and wellness category, CES 2018 attendees will see a new Sports Zone added to the show.
The new area will highlight demonstrations and conversations around sports and health technologies such as wearables, fitness trackers, heart rate monitors and more.
Connected health technologies overall are expected to see growth in the coming year. For example, the total wearables market, including fitness activity trackers and other health and fitness devices, is expected to reach sales of 48 million units in 2017, a 9% increase from last year, and earn $5.6 billion, according to the CTA.
CES will see brands in the connected health market launch those products expected to drive the segment forward in 2018, including Fitbit, Nokia and Philips.
In terms of the smart home, Internet of Things powered products for the home have evolved into one of the most popular emerging tech categories, according to the CTA. In fact, the CTA projects sales in the category to reach 27 million units in 2017, a 50% increase over 2016, and earn $3.3 billion, a 48% increase over 2016.
CES 2018 will again feature its Smart Home Marketplace where housewares vendors will showcase the latest in home tech innovations.
From small electrics to floor care the show will see numerous housewares categories represented. The robotic vacuum segment, for example, is a category to watch as consumer interest and vendor innovation continues to climb, and floor care manufacturers such as iRobot and Ecovacs will showcase the latest in robotic vacuum technologies.
According to the CTA, voice recognition technology is one of the defining trends of 2017. Unit sales projections for voice-controlled digital assistant devices such as Alexa, Google Home and Apple’s recently released HomePod are projected to reach 11 million units, a 53% increase over 2016, and generate $1.3 billion in revenue, a 22% increase over 2016.
Digital assistants are also impacting retail strategies and sales. For example, Steve Koenig, senior director of market research, CTA, noted that retailers such as Best Buy, Target, Walmart and Home Depot are starting to align with different digital assistants. “This is about the rise of voice as that fourth sales channel,” Koenig said.
At last year’s CES, Amazon took center stage at the show with numerous vendors across industries unveiling compatibility with its Alexa digital assistant. At the 2018 show, Google Home might emerge as a top contender to Alexa as more vendors add its digital assistant capabilities to their products.