Hurry Up Before It Is Too Late, Wink Wink
Wink has announced that its users have one week’s notice to start subscribing to a $5 per month plan or be shut off: access to all Wink devices from the Wink app (or third party apps) will disappear, along with all automations. The company says long term costs and recent economic events prompted the move, and that the subscription model means they can continue to operate while maintaining user privacy by not having to sell their users’ data.
The NPD Take:
- Though $5 per month likely won’t break the budget for most, the timing and the lack of notice is sure to disenchant numerous customers – as is the principle of having a subscription-only model. This makes Wink quite unique, in that other home automation product manufacturers (Arlo, Ring, SimpliSafe, etc., etc.) all have a level of free service.
Smart Water Leak Detectors Save Money from Leaking
According to a study (commissioned by Moen), a group of over 2,000 homes with the Flo by Moen Smart Water Shutoff saw a 96% decrease in the number of paid water damage claims and a 72% decrease in the severity of the claims made. The study compared the two-year period before homes had the device installed to the one-year period since installation…and obviously found that the smart plumbing technology can prevent major leaks from causing major damage and costing major money.
The NPD Take:
- If insurers take note, discounts or other incentives for consumers who invest in these products could be forthcoming – which is an incentive that many consumers would need given the price points (Moen’s Flo retails for about $500, for example, while the Phyn Smart Water Assistant + Shutoff is $699), though there are other more affordable solutions that simply send notifications when leaks are detected, but don’t shut off the water supply. If neither cost (nor consumer awareness) were an issue, smart water leak detectors would speak to the same sense of security that have made security cameras and smart doorbells popular.
Wyze Makes Emergency Services Readily Available
Wyze has announced a partnership with Noonlight to make emergency services directly available from its mobile app, eliminating the need for Wyze device owners to have to separately dial 911. For example, if you get an alert from your Wyze camera and think it warrants an emergency call, that can be done directly in the app with the tap of a button. This triggers a response from Noonlight’s platform, which will then contact the local first responders or safety agencies on the user’s behalf.
The NPD Take:
- Being able to shave off even a few seconds of time to reach emergency services – or being able to reach services with a single tap if dialing is not possible for whatever reason – has an obvious upside. Will this new feature attract myriads of new customers for Wyze? Probably not. Could it make current Wyze users more loyal? Possibly so.