Are You Capturing Your Share?

Everywhere we look, in every corner of our lives, automation is delivering the ease and convenience we demand. And that’s proving a major selling opportunity for window treatment professionals.

Much like outdoor living is dominating the home renovation market, motorization is now the hottest trend in window treatments. For dealers, installers and designers who are ready to capture their share of this rapidly expanding market, the sky is the limit.

The Stage Is Set

It wasn’t too long ago that the idea of controlling your window shades or outdoor awnings with your phone or voice sounded like the stuff of science fiction. But the smart home concept has been brewing in our minds for some time now. As early as the 1930s, authors and moviemakers were creating futuristic worlds where people used technology to control their lighting, security systems and other home features. Their premonitions have been proven to be spot-on!

Once the internet took off, so did the technology needed to turn these visions into reality. And as wireless technology took hold, the constraints that once made home automation unwieldy to install quickly became nonissues. Today, there’s nothing holding back the concept of fully automating every window treatment in and around the home.

In fact, these innovative solutions might be just the angle you need to drive new sales in an overall window treatment market that IBISWorld forecasts to be relatively flat for the next several years.

The Demand Is There

Just like they crave automation in other areas of their lives, consumers are taking to motorized window treatments in a big way. Yet, this market is still in its infancy, with only limited adoption so far. For window treatment professionals looking to grow their business, there couldn’t be a better combination of forces at work.

A survey by Olibra, makers of the Bond Bridge home automation platform, underscores how ripe the opportunity is for window treatment dealers, installers and designers. Olibra tapped its 100,000 platform users to understand how consumers plan to add automated window treatments and what’s motivating them to buy. While only 42% of people surveyed have motorized shades in their homes, three out of four are planning or considering such a purchase. Perhaps more telling, nearly two-thirds said they’d like to see all their window shades motorized eventually! What’s driving the push for motorized window coverings? The survey results shed light on this question and the results shouldn’t come as a surprise:

■ Convenience is far and away the top reason that consumers invest in an automated window treatment, mentioned by nine out of 10 respondents.

■ About half cited the ability to control their window treatments using voice commands or a phone app—another indication that convenience is top of mind when making these purchases.

■ The ability to control their window treatments while away from home proved important for about half of the consumers surveyed, revealing a desire for better security and privacy.

Though the survey focused on indoor window treatments, similar factors are driving consumers to adopt motorized options for their outdoor living spaces. Whether it’s a retractable screen that keeps out the sun and the bugs or an automated awning or pergola that offers shade and protection from the rain, homeowners are latching on to the idea that they can easily control these outdoor shading solutions from anywhere at any time.

There’s No Shortage of Options

Thanks to continued advancements in technology, materials and production, consumers have a growing array of motorized window treatments to choose from. When it comes to equipping them with the right solution, it’s really a matter of homing in on the features they most desire.

Here again, the Olibra survey offers useful insights into the hot buttons for most consumers in search of automated window treatments:

■ Seamless integration and connectivity top the list of the most sought-after features, followed closely by the window treatment’s build quality and aesthetics.

■ Less than half cited quiet operation and price as something to be considered when buying motorized window shades or blinds.

■ About half the survey respondents want to be able to schedule when shades or blinds open and close, set the shade to any position and control shades in groups for ease.

No matter which motorized window treatment features they crave or the benefits they seek, homeowners are more likely than ever to find just what they’re looking for. Manufacturers like Rollease Acmeda, Insolroll and others in this space continue to innovate, adding and enhancing their product lines to deliver better performance, style and selection. Indoors, homeowners can now combine design and functionality even for hardto-reach windows, whether it’s above a bathtub, over a soaring stairway or in a room with a cathedral ceiling. They can select just the right option to gain better climate control, improve their sleep quality, protect furnishings from fading, reduce visibility into the home or deter burglars while they’re traveling. They can schedule shades to open as the sun comes up or close at bedtime. They can choose from an ever-expanding range of motorized window treatment textiles, colors and styles. And they can integrate these solutions into the same home automation systems they already use, including app-controlled or voiceactivated systems from Google and Amazon.

Best of all, thanks to wireless technology, these solutions have never been easier to install. No more objections about the mess of cutting into drywall to hard-wire a solution!

Similar advancements are driving the evolution of motorized screens, shades, awnings and pergolas that make outdoor living more comfortable. For example, various manufacturers integrate Somfy’s high-tech sensors into their products, powering automatic opening or closing in response to weather conditions. Other innovations are resulting in better options for protection against UV rays, moisture and wind, in increasingly larger sizes and a wider array of materials, colors and styles. Now, it’s easy for consumers to add an awning that automatically closes when it rains to protect the product from stains and mildew, a retractable screen that closes in response to the sun’s rays or a pergola that closes when the wind picks up, protecting against damage.

Don’t Fall Behind the Curve!

With demand rising and innovative options emerging, all the ingredients are coming together to make motorized window treatments a key part of your product portfolio and a big revenue and profitability driver. And with rising mortgage rates and low housing inventory prompting more consumers to stay put and invest in their current homes, it’s the perfect time to get them to upgrade to the latest motorized window treatments.

So, how do you gain an advantage in a market that’s surely garnering your competitors’ attention?

1

Recognize that automated window treatments offer a tremendous opportunity for repeat business, since most consumers are adding these features incrementally. As the Olibra survey revealed, about 45% of consumers have been adding automated window treatments since their initial purchase. By keeping in touch with first-time buyers, you can ensure you’re top of mind when they’re ready to buy again.

2 Stay current on the latest developments in automated window shades, blinds and awnings. The more you know about the options available, the better equipped you’ll be to meet each consumer’s unique needs and preferences.

3

Lean into consumers’ strong desire for convenience by providing hands-on demonstrations that bring this benefit to life. There’s nothing more powerful than showing the simplicity of operating an automated window treatment that’s integrated with the voice- and app-controlled systems homeowners already use. Showing customers what happens when you say, “Alexa, open my bedroom shades!” might be just want it takes to make your next motorized window treatment sale! V

BLISS™ Automation by Alta systems and power options offer a new level of purposeful ease with a wide range of options. From the wire-free convenience of our DC or Li-ion motors to the power of voice control operation, BLISS is a solid solution for advanced yet simple light control and well-connected design.

“My favorite product is using the R-TEC Hub in conjunction with the R-TEC Automation App by Rowley. I am not a techy person, as my strength is in designing and fabricating custom soft furnishings. I’ve never had a client tell me they wished they had opted to spend less for nonmotorized treatments, but rather how much they like the convenience of motorization.”

—Donna Cash, Designs by Donna

WCMA Cord Safety Standards as of May 16, 2023

Our trade’s landscape is ever-evolving, due in large part of the new requirements for window covering cords. Now, a rift has formed between two of the most important industry organizations: the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Window Coverings Manufacturers Association (WCMA).

After years of cooperation between the two entities, the CPSC has decided to circumvent the process outlined under the Consumer Product Safety Act, which requires that the commission and the industry work together to develop effective voluntary standards. This will eliminate the availability of product before businesses have the chance to develop new ones, as it’s proposed that the industry will need at least two years to realize this.

In November 2022, the CPSC issued a final rule, addressing the risk of strangulation to children 8 years old and younger, with an effective date of May 30, 2023. The WCMA sued to stay this date pending a decision from the court on the group’s challenge of the rule. The stay was granted in January and oral arguments were presented on April 24 to the district court by attorneys for the CPSC and the WCMA.

“For interior products, my favorite is charcoal solar shades powered by Somfy motors. They provide crystal-clear views and optimal glare protection. For exterior, my favorite is the phantom executive motorized wall screen powered by Somfy Motors with insect mesh. It provides optimal airflow and view with no bugs!”

—Jonathan Yehuda, Glamour Decorating

As of press time, no ruling has been made. The potential rulings include: the court ruling with the CPSC and the final rule would need to be enforced as early as 52 days after the decision, the court remanding the final rule to the CPSC for reconsideration of the effective date and the court could vacate the final rule and the CPSC would have to restart their process.