The 3 Types of Customers Who Buy Smart Products—and How to Market to Them

Journal
Harvard Business Review
Type
journal article
Date Issued
2025-11-04
Author(s)
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Abstract
A decade after Samsung’s Family Hub Refrigerator symbolized the smart home revolution, “smartness” alone no longer sells. Although the smart home products industry is projected to hit $537 billion by 2030, roughly three-quarters of projects still fail to deliver value. Part of the problem is that many brands rely on vague claims of intelligence—“advanced algorithms,” “deep learning”—without showing how products meet customer needs. The authors’ research, published in the Journal of Consumer Research, shows that this approach can hurt sales. Surveying 1,000+ customers across 31 categories, they identified three buyer personas: comfort-seekers (46%), purpose-seekers (18%), and efficiency-seekers (36%). Defined by how customers extract value, these groups differ sharply. Comfort-seekers prize ease and fun; purpose-seekers want mission alignment and data; efficiency-seekers focus on ROI and time savings. Success depends on tailoring design and messaging to each persona’s needs.
Refereed
yes
Number
09
Start page
1
End page
8
URL