Consumer awareness of Bluetooth is at an all-time high

The proliferation and success of Bluetooth captured the imagination of the consumer, leading to increased demand for unique wireless applications, most notably home automation, location-based services, personal monitoring and tracking and remote access control. Industry analyst ABI Research projects that over 3bn Bluetooth enabled products will ship this year alone.

Errett Kroeter, Vice President, Marketing, Bluetooth SIG, commented: “Bluetooth delivers a connection that just works for consumers globally, whether they are listening to music or tracking their steps. This has led to a shift in expectations of what connectivity can be. Consumers are looking to experience that same convenience and connectivity in all aspects of their lives and we are consciously building the technology to deliver these effortless connections.”

Demand for IoT connectivity is focused in areas where consumers need additional control and insight. Respondents reported the highest interest in location awareness (solutions that aid first responders in emergency situations or aid navigation in public spaces and buildings), home automation (controlling lighting, locks, temperature from inside and outside of the home) and personal monitoring (securing monitoring and sending sensitive health and wellness data).

“The Bluetooth technology roadmap specifically addresses consumer interest in new applications for wireless technology. Better still, many of the applications they are most interested in are available today. Bluetooth enabled beacons currently allow for city navigation in multiple locations; Bluetooth hubs can sync connected home devices and give users control through an internet gateway; Bluetooth moved the sports and fitness market from niche to mainstream in less than two years. All of these exemplify our vision of creating an unthinkably connected world that makes life simpler and establishing an IoT that is accessible to everyone,” added Kroeter.

Additional key findings of the report include:

• On average, consumers now own almost four Bluetooth enabled products (increased from 2.7 in 2012);
• Bluetooth awareness has increased 6% since 2012 (92% in 2016, 87% in 2012);
• Bluetooth usage has increased 32% since 2012 (78% in 2016, 59% in 2012); and
• Nearly two thirds of consumers prefer Bluetooth in their new technology purchases.