Smart TV Awareness Low in the U.K.

LONDON: Consumers in the U.K. are not being educated by retailers about the benefits and basics of Internet-connected TV, indicates the latest research from Informa Telecoms & Media.

Informa estimates that 35 percent of all TVs sold this year in the U.K. will be Smart TVs, though this is due in large part because Internet connectivity is becoming a "default" technology on a number of standard sets, rather than due to an increase in consumer demand.

Research was conducted across leading high street retailers and pay-TV providers. A "mystery shopper" survey found that many retailers were ill-equipped to sell Smart TVs, as the majority of stores did not have Internet connection, nor a dedicated in-store section and the sales staff was poorly trained about Smart TVs.

“While some specialist and mass-market retailers are providing an increasingly interactive shopping experience for smartphones and tablets, connected TVs are yet to be held in the same regard,” commented Andrew Ladbrook, senior analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media. “Store displays and sales assistants tend to focus on TV screen size and quality when making their recommendations to consumers. It seems that Smart TV features are an afterthought, but with no Internet connection in stores their advantages are quite literally not being seen or heard.”

Ladbrook continued, “Amazon UK offers the closest thing to a comprehensive shopping experience for connected TVs (extensive FAQs, dedicated information pages) but navigation is far from perfect, and connected TVs can be lost amongst broader range of TVs jostling for consumers’ attention.”

He added, “Retailers have failed to grasp the opportunity that Smart TVs provide them. Now more than ever actually experiencing the user interface and the additional services provided on a TV before buying in a store is paramount. As long as this situation remains the status quo, pay-TV providers will continue to benefit and will be seen as the providers of on-demand and catch-up services to the TV.”