Smart Homes as a Service
Smart Homes as a ServiceA case study on Smart Homes in the Indian MarketPraveen Kumar [email protected]+91 7259715007Problem StatementThough the idea of a smart home is no longer alien for the Indian market, it is yet to really take off. At its current state, the market is still stuck at the early-adopter phase and making the move to a mass-market phase would be quite the task. Some of the key challenges hampering the smart home adoption include, but not limited to, technology adoption curve, low demand, high infrastructure costs and lack of consumer awareness. The biggest of the challenges is the fact that the consumers have to deal with a wide variety of standards with respect to devices, software, apps etc to build a smart home. In this case study, I propose to solve the challenges facing Smart Home adoption in India by building an effective partner network with existing market leaders and create a closed eco-system that can be delivered as a SHAAS (Smart Homes as a Service). More specifically, our aim would be, to be the new Uber/Airbnb of the Smart Homes market. The proposed service will bring different devices together and provide capabilities such as the ability to communicate among the devices, recognize patterns and be controlled from a single application.
Top of Form[pic 1][pic 2]The Business Model Canvas – Smart Homes Bottom of FormKey PartnersHardware Partners: CISCO/Intel/Schneider/BoschSoftware Partners: Google/Samsung/ApplePlatform partners: AmazonReal Estate Partners: Prestige/DLF/SobhaStrategic partnership with the Government agenciesKey ActivitiesInstallation & Set upMulti-Device integrationMarketingData securityData Management and IntegrationLicensing and regulatory approvalsValue PropositionConvenience/ComfortSecurityEnergy efficiencyHome monitoring and orchestration Live notificationsPredictive analyticsCentralized information management through Cloud AffordableCustomer RelationshipsCustomer complaints/behavior analysisIntegrated Recommendation Engine 24/7 Customer careLoyalty plansOnsite support and TrainingEffective use of Social media/Television/Press/Canopies etc.Surveys Customer SegmentsMid-Income FamiliesHigh-Income FamiliesGated Communities / ApartmentsEnterprisesNew Home OwnersExisting customer base from the partnersSingle/Working mothersElderly people or Households with elderly peopleKey ResourcesCloud InfrastructureHardware Availability and AffordabilityHigh availabilitySales and Marketing personnelPartner NetworkChannelsAd CampaignsTelevision/RadioSocial ChannelsCompany websiteWorkshopsSMS/Email marketingDirect marketingCost StructureMarketing and Advertising costsInfrastructure cost Creating and maintaining the Partner network Implementing an effective CRM systemRevenue StreamsPrepaid or Subscription fee – varying feature bundles such as Basic, Smart, Premium etc.Feature based costs/prices: Lighting, Climate control, Security, Entertainment etc.Profit sharing with partners Dynamic pricing Pay-per-useRedeemable Loyalty/Bonus pointsAssumptionsSome of the key assumptions made for this case study are as follows:Consumers want a smart home service and not a bunch of devices.Market leaders in various aspects of Smart Homes are willing to work together to provide a bundled service.By bringing the existing operators together, we would be able to reduce costs and increase the efficiency of the service at the same time.Considering the host of operators existing in the market, it is possible to create a single standard system to smart homes and consolidate their offerings under one application. LimitationsThe Smart Home industry currently has different technologies such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Z-Wave etc. The operators are also introducing new devices at a fast pace. Some of the limitations could be: