Selfridges is to open up a department in its flagship Oxford Street store devoted to IoT devices for the home.
Dubbed Smartech, Selfridges has got together with electronic products distributor Bullboat to sell connected home products, located on the lower ground floor of the store.
The zone will stock Internet of Things (IoT) devices and connected home products and will be staffed by experts to educate potential customers on the benefits of IoT in the home. There will also be hands-on demos and interactive sessions. There will also be product tours for customers.
Among the goods for sale in the zone are Misfit fitness trackers, Bluesmart One smart suitcase that can track, weigh and lock itself, and ‘Drop’ – a connected kitchen scale.
It will also stock the Netatmo Welcome indoor security camera with face recognition, Nomad iPhone charging wallets and stands, the Ring smart doorbell and TrackRBravo.
Selfridges hopes the new IoT department will help make its store “the primary destination for this new category of goods”.
“We wanted to provide our brand partners with a platform to help tell their story at retail,” said Nathalie Bernce, Smartech CEO. “At Smartech we are taking products down from the shelves and building a transparent and passionate culture by providing our visitors with interactive POS, competitive pricing, and highly trained and knowledgeable staff.”
The news comes after rival store John Lewis open up its Smart Home department in its Oxford Street, London, branch earlier this year. The trend is evidence that customers are developing a taste for IoT goods and services.
IoT saves house fire
The Netatmo Welcome indoor security camera recently saved a family from a fire caused by an electronic toy.
“Whilst my family and I were attending a basketball game a few kilometres away from home, I received a notification on my smartphone reporting that our fire alarm had been triggered”, said Christophe, a Welcome user and father of three. “I immediately checked the video filmed by Welcome and saw that a fire had started in our living room. The firemen were instantly alerted and were able to prevent the fire from spreading. It’s thanks to Welcome’s accurate alert that our house and our two dogs were saved from the flames”, he added.
Graham Lloyd, director and industry principal of financial services at Pegasystems, told Internet of Business that as consumers in a new, digital age, our behaviours and expectations have changed, we now expect organisations to be able to understand our needs and predict what will appeal to us.
“The key to this lies in the increased use of connected devices, such as smartphones, smart watches, connected cars and other Internet of Things enabled technology,” he said.
Related: Whitepaper – what is the future of the Internet of Things in retail?