DIY customers show higher interest in add-on services than do security customers with a professionally installed system

Parks Associates released new research today, available to purchase online, showing nearly half of DIY security systems owners purchase their systems online versus just under a quarter of pro-install system owners. The new study, Home Security User Experience: Pro vs. DIY Installation, tracks the purchase journey for security system owners and quantifies the impact of pro-install versus DIY in owners’ experiences.

“Consumers want choice, especially when it comes to the sales channel, so traditional security players must adapt, separating the sales approach from the installation method,” said Chris White, Director, Research, Parks Associates. “There is still demand for professional installation options, as well as upsell opportunities for value-added services such as energy management and data security, but security players have to sell online in order to capture a new generation of buyers.”

The study of 10,000 US internet households investigates purchase trends and triggers for security ownership and identifies key differences among security system users.

“DIY system owners do not want to deal with company representatives and want the convenience of transparent pricing online,” White said.

This research helps understand the unique demographic profiles of DIY and pro-installation security system buyers, what devices are acquired at purchase, and what are the most impactful triggers in the decision to get security services.

Parks Associates is addressing the growth in smart home devices in its latest CONNECTIONS™ virtual session, hosted today, March 2, starting with a special roundtable “Energizing a Smarter Home: Solar and Security,”sponsored by Alarm.com. Additional sessions address channel expansion and strategies to attract new buyers, with executives from Kaadas Smart Door Locks, Pepper IoT, Alula, Brilliant, Silicon Labs/Z-Wave Alliance LLC, Kwikset, Athom, and Ivani.

Registration for this CONNECTIONS™ session is available online. CONNECTIONS™ sponsors are Cox Communications, Nice, Ubiety, Alarm.com, Connectivity Standards Alliance, Johnson Controls, Rapid Response Monitoring, Schneider Electric, Xailient, Ivani, Cooktop Safety, Nimbio, and Becklar.

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.

Each year, Parks Associates brings thousands of leaders together for its webinars and annual events. The firm hosts the annual executive research and strategy conferences CONNECTIONS™, Connected Health Summit, Smart Energy Summit, Smart Spaces, and Future of Video. https://www.parksassociates.com

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