Market Strategies Study Reveals the Most Attractive M2M Solutions for Americans
By Raju Shanbhag, TMCnet Contributor
A national study released by research consultancy Market Strategies International states that consumers rate energy smart metering and health monitoring as the two most attractive M2M solutions in the market.
Providers of M2M solutions now have a significant opportunity to increase awareness and adoption rates of these concepts, according to the study. Successful M2M commercialization will mainly depend on aggressive consumer education initiatives emphasizing tangible cost savings, convenience and secure technology. But despite the buzz, Americans have the least amount of interest in mobile banking and shopping, the company stated in a press release.
“With 60 percent of consumers viewing these two M2M technologies as 'somewhat' or 'very' appealing, smart metering, also known as home energy management, and health monitoring seem to have struck the most positive chord with prospective users," said Keri Christensen, vice president of the communications division at Market Strategies. “Two-fifths of consumers think the benefits of M2M technology exceed potential problems, but they still have a lot of questions about how applications actually work.”
According to the survey, consumers can get test results and medical records sent directly to their mobile devices with the help of the most appealing healthcare monitoring applications. By automatically adjusting appliance settings or delaying cycle times when energy costs are higher, consumers express the strongest interest in smart metering/home energy solutions that will save them money. Market Strategies interviewed a national sample of 1,500 consumers aged 18 and older between June 21 and July 1, 2011.
Recently, the company announced that four out of five U.S. consumer segments support the quick implementation of the Smart Grid and Smart Meters by utilities. The naysayers admit that they don’t fully understand the concept. The respondents were segmented according to their attitudes, beliefs, and preferences – and designated by the energy usage orientation – into clusters ranging from “Anything Clean” to “Carbon Is King.”
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Raju Shanbhag is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Raju’s articles, please visit his columnist page.
Edited by Rich Steeves
