Shut the Front (Smart) Door!
The front door is about to get smarter. Door manufacturer Masonite is planning to integrate power and internet connectivity directly into residential doors themselves…and through a relationship with Ring and Yale Home, is exploring the opportunity to specifically integrate their devices into said doors. Masonite does say that integration will not be limited to Ring and Yale products going forward, and that doors will have a standard interface so other lock and doorbell companies can add their devices.
The NPD Take:
- While no specifics have been provided about how exactly Ring and Yale technology would be integrated, it isn’t a far leap to assume the result would obviate the need to purchase a separate smart doorbell and smart door lock. Surely there will be a revenue sharing/licensing component that would compensate Ring and Yale for lost retail sales. Masonite expects 60% of the door sales to come from renovations and 40% from new construction – but just how many that total number is will determine what kind of hit retailers like a Best Buy would take for lost device sales.
Hello? Is That a New Nest?
The latest version of the Google Home app is rolling out and the Home companion client is showing the backside of new Google Nest device…which could be the next Hello. According to 9to5Google, the image is oblong with a USB-C port at the top and two screws underneath the port, with a circle (button) at the bottom, and it all looks very much like a doorbell.
The NPD Take:
- The current Nest Hello was launched all the way back in early 2018, so it is certainly about that time for a refresh. While the original Hello sales volumes remained fairly consistent in its second year of existence as it had in its first, the third year sales was not kind to its sales trend. Of course, the third year was also the year of Covid…but Nest’s main competitors still maintained positive sales growth despite the pandemic, and 2021 will likely be another very good year for Ring with its new $60 doorbell.