6.18.20 -SSI
A new survey revealing the the percentage of connected electronic locks purchased by marital status may seem esoteric at first, but it can help a dealer when it comes time to sell.
As most security dealers have discovered, almost any piece of demographic information about their customer and potential customers can be instrumental in closing a sale — or at least in helping them ask the right questions.
We know that certain data, much of it obtained through various industry surveys, is undoubtedly germane to the sale of smart locks. Surveys that show, for example, what percentage of people already have at least one smart device; what percentage of people have fully connected homes; consumers’ level of smart home knowledge; and, obviously, purchasing drivers can all be helpful in helping dealers recognize and target their ideal customers.
But what about more “esoteric” information like marital status? Does such lifestyle information provide the dealer with any useful material in getting a customer to pull out their wallet?
The short answer is, it depends. It can depend on a variety of factors, but one thing is certain: when a piece of purchasing data represents such a large percentage of the buying audience, it would be a mistake to ignore it.
With that as background, what can we say about marital status — specifically, how does it affect the purchase of connected electronic locks? A survey conducted by a company called TraQline, enlisted by leading residential lock manufacturer Kwikset, offers some insight into this specific question, while demonstrating why an eye-opening statistic deserves a second look.
A random sample of 228 respondents took the TraQline survey which, among other questions, asked about marital status; the results are indicated below. (All respondents indicated that they had purchased a connected electronic lock.)
By far, the largest group of connected electronic lock buyers was the married group (64%). Single people were a distant second at 20%, divorced at 13.3%, and widows trailing the pack at a mere 2.7%.
Analyzing the vast gap between the top group can be difficult. It can be reasonably argued that the married group feels security is more important because they have a partner whose safety they are as interested in as they are their own.
Perhaps it’s because in a married couple, it’s twice as likely that at least one person is focused on overall home improvement than any of the other groups (all of whom are ultimately alone). Or it could another factor that is, as of this writing, simply unknown.
Ultimately, what does this all mean for dealers? Certainly, bringing up marital status to a customer can be a bit awkward. However, in the course of the dialogue that should ensue between dealer and customers, marital status is likely to emerge organically.
And based on the infographic below, it can tip off the dealer to the fact that he or she might have a customer who is far more likely to purchase an electronic connected lock than another. But whichever group the customer falls into, it’s another useful piece of market knowledge that the dealer can use to his or her advantage.
