Washington, D.C. and Las Vegas, NV – Today, UL Standards & Engagement announced the release of a new report at CES 2025. The report, based on surveys of consumers and tech business executives, revealed that standards and certifications build consumer trust in products and promote business growth and industry-wide advancement in smart home technology.
Critical themes emerged for the smart home industry, from fundamental safety imperatives to concerns for electrical and fire safety, data security, privacy, and product reliability make this research crucial to the smart home industry. In addition to certification trends, this report shares how ULSE’s standards are designed to mitigate critical safety, security, and sustainability issues in smart home products.
“There is tremendous potential for standards and certifications to help fuel innovation and make smart home technology more cohesive for consumers,” said Sayon Deb, director of primary insights at ULSE. “Our research shows that two-thirds of smart home device owners are willing to trust and prioritize certified solutions. As consumers choose certified products, businesses gain the freedom to focus on innovation and quality.”
Key findings of the research show:
- Standards build market trust and spur business growth in the smart home sector. Certification marks indicating compliance to standards now match brand reputation in consumer trust (32%). These product certifications send strong trust signals – 69% of consumers express greater confidence in certified products.
- Leveraging standards as innovation catalysts. Standards aren’t roadblocks – they’re launching pads for innovation. Nine in ten (92%) senior tech executives believe that following industry standards and obtaining certifications helps their companies innovate more effectively, and organizations prioritizing certification report significant market advantages.
- Standards create a foundation for innovation while maintaining consumer trust. Consumer trust translates to market advantage for smart home companies – 44% of executives say certifications boost both their brand reputation and competitive position. More than four in five (85%) say certification shapes their R&D priorities, while 71% have made it a core part of their development process.
“Your home is a very personal space, and when it comes to smart homes, technological advancement can only be innovative when safety is prioritized,” said Lesley Rohrbaugh, head of insights & policy analysis at ULSE. “Standardization fosters a common framework that supports innovation while minimizing risks. This is not just a regulatory box-check – alignment with standards and certifications is a strategic advantage for companies that want to lead in the consumer technology space.”
ULSE provides key standards that guide technological progress across smart homes, artificial intelligence, and sustainable energy. ULSE’s presence at CES 2025, where thousands of consumer technology decisionmakers, thought leaders, and innovators gather annually, reflects an ongoing commitment to the advancement of standards and certifications in the consumer technology sector.
The report also includes a range of standards on connected devices, cybersecurity, AI-driven products, and energy efficiency that are managed by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)®, owner and producer of CES®, the world’s most powerful tech event.
As the demand for connected home devices continues to grow, it’s crucial that companies integrate safety and standards into their design and development processes,” stated Brian Markwalter, senior vice president, research & standards at the CTA. “Standards don’t just coexist with technological advancement – they serve as a key enabler of market success while protecting consumer safety.”
The report will also be discussed by a ULSE-hosted panel during CES to explore the power of standards and certifications for smart home technology innovation. Panelists include: Rebecca Zavin, chief technology officer at SimpliSafe; Christopher LaPré, head of technology at Connectivity Standards Alliance; Lesley Rohrbaugh, head of insights and policy analysis at ULSE; Kerri Haresign, senior director of technology & standards at CTA; and moderator Sayon Deb, director of primary insights at ULSE.
The full report is available to download here.
Metodología
These results were taken from two ULSE Insights surveys conducted in November 2024: consumer study of 2,021 U.S. adults 18+ (including 1,200 smart home device owners) and business executive study of 176 senior executives from smart home, IoT and consumer technology companies. The margin of sampling error for the consumer study, at 95% confidence for aggregate results, is +/- 2.2%, while the margin of sampling error for the business executive study, at 95% confidence for aggregate results, is +/- 7.3%. Sampling error is larger for subgroups of the data.
Todos los estudios fueron diseñados y formulados por UL Standards & Engagement. Las encuestas fueron administradas en línea por BV Insights. Como miembro de la Insights Association y ESOMAR (la Sociedad Europea de Investigación de Opinión y Marketing), BV Insights se adhiere a la ética y las mejores prácticas del sector, incluido el mantenimiento del anonimato de los encuestados.
Como en cualquier encuesta, el error de muestreo es sólo una de las posibles fuentes de error. Aunque el error ajeno al muestreo no puede calcularse con exactitud, se tomaron medidas de precaución en todas las fases del diseño de la encuesta y de la recogida y el tratamiento de los datos para minimizar su influencia.
Nota: Todas las cifras son porcentajes, salvo que se indique lo contrario. Las cifras pueden no sumar 100% debido al redondeo.
Acerca de ULSE
UL Standards & Engagement es una organización sin ánimo de lucro que traduce la ciencia de la seguridad en acción a través del desarrollo de normas, asociaciones y promoción. Desde 1903, hemos desarrollado casi 1.700 normas y documentos de orientación para productos que van desde puertas cortafuegos hasta vehículos autónomos. ULSE hace posible la innovación y aumenta la confianza reuniendo a expertos e informando a los responsables políticos y a los reguladores mientras trabajamos por un futuro más seguro y sostenible. Visite ulse.org para obtener más información.
Póngase en contacto con
Catie Talenti
Normas UL y compromiso
Senior Strategic Communications Specialist
P: (607) 742-8766
catie.talenti@ul.org