Connected supply chain for the connected home

Some of you may have seen Samsung's announcement about it's new "connected TV" that it will be launching at IFA in August. The stuff that sets this apart from others is that it will apparently be the first TV in Europe which can be "connected to a home network to receive multimedia files, have built-in content and are able to receive RSS feeds directly from the Internet."

This will surely be the first of many that seek to place the TV and the living room at the heart of the connected home. It will also be interesting to see what deals have been struck re the built-in content that is referred to, a hot trend in the TV world. However, the question we've always heard from Intellect member companies is more about when we can expect to see the connected home proposition move from the preserve of the technologically astute to the mass market. Much of this revolves around the perennial issue of usability but also around how the product is sold at point of sale.

Many have commented on an apparent disconnect between technology manufacturers and retailers regarding the understanding of product and the knock-on effect this has on the advice and service customers receive. To explain and sell something like a fully connected home will require tech-savvy retailers and a compelling demonstration. This requires investment which in the current economic climate for retail will be in short supply. The question of when and how we can get our act together as a supply chain continues to occupy minds.