The Middle East, Turkey, and Africa (META) smart home devices market saw its value increase 21.6% year on year in value last year as the market's value reached $9.5 billion in 2021, said a study.
According to the latest insights from International Data Corporation (IDC), the key growth drivers were vendor-led awareness campaigns, the local customisation of products, and improved user experiences.
The compatibility capabilities of most devices and the ease with which they can be connected — mainly via existing household Wi-Fi connections — have also been key factors in pushing end-users to embrace the convenience of smart home devices, the study pointed out.
The region's channel/distribution landscape expanded through 2021 as more players entered the market. The most prominent of these players are the region's telecom operators, with some of them expanding their home subscription offerings to now include smart home devices.
Retailers at various levels of the market have also entered the fray, stocking a varied selection of smart home devices. This is in addition to the myriad online offerings, which continue to be the main source of smart home devices in the region, revealed the report.
The entertainment continued to be a major growth driver through 2021, with many people forced to stay at home for long periods due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Demand for streaming services, casual TV viewing, and gaming spurred the growth of streaming sticks and to some extent smart TVs, although the latter was impacted by supply shortages of panels.