Despite the huge hype surrounding them, smart appliances are still not cutting it yet. Shoppers have been in no hurry to buy.
Smart Appliances Still Not Cutting It YET
As Krista Garcia reports for eMarketer:
“Smart-home technology like connected TVs and lighting have been available for awhile. But smart appliances like refrigerators and dishwashers aren’t prevalent in U.S. homes. That could change, though.”
According to a January 2018 survey by Fluent LLC, many U.S. Internet users (55%) own some form of smart-home technology. The most common device is a smart TV (38%), followed by lighting (17%), thermostats (16%) and security systems (14%). Kitchen appliances had the lowest level of ownership (7%) among those mentioned.”
“In a June 2018 YouGov poll, 62% of U.S. consumers said they were aware of smart appliances (including thermostats, not just kitchen appliances) but didn’t really know much about them. This was more pronounced for those 35 and older (67%), while 52% of consumers ages 18 to 34 knew about smart appliances but didn’t fully understand them. Over one-quarter (26%) of that younger age group had awareness and claimed to know a lot about them. In all, just 9% of respondents across all age groups had not heard of smart appliances. “
“The biggest worry with smart appliances is cost: 31% of respondents ages 18 to 34 and 38% of those over 35 cited this as a concern. Being hacked and fears about data privacy had similar levels of concern, while practical matters like not being able to use them if there were problems connecting to the internet was also an issue. “
Retailing: From A to Z 
We’ve got to get away from the notion that general consumer web surveys are data. They’re not. Web panel members represent a non-random list of less than 1% of the US population, and fewer than 20% of panel members complete surveys — and as I’ve found in a couple of studies, they lie to collect incentives.
Most households don’t have smart appliances and most consumers are constrained from buying them due to cost. The migration from homeownership to renting further depresses demand — landlords aren’t paying for expensive appliances either. When I see a rent-to-own company offering financing for smart appliances, then I’ll believe that the market for them has expanded. Not holding my breath.
Basically, the extreme concentration of wealth in the US is killing mass markets for a variety of products stores.