The motorized shade market still has plenty of “lift” in it for integrators. According to a recent consumer study conducted by Olibra, developer of the Bond Bridge RF-to-Wi-Fi platform, demand for motorization of window treatments is strong among homeowners. Indeed, the most telling statistic from the research is that 64% of homeowners would like every single shade in their home to be motorized. That is quite remarkable given the relative newness of automated window treatments.

The study, which was fielded among 100,000 active motorized shade users, reveals the average number of motorized shades per home is six, with half of them installed by professionals and half done as a DIY project. The Olibra study also identifies what homeowners seek in shades and smart control and indicates that abundant sales opportunities exist in the category for custom integrators.

Among the key points from the Cresskill, N.J.-based Olibra survey and takeaways are:

• Many homeowners want to add more shades in the future (50% – Yes, 24% – Maybe). The datapoint indicates that there is strong opportunity for integrators to follow up with their existing clients.
• 52% of homeowners have added more motorized shades since their first purchase. Once homeowners get a taste of having certain shades motorized, they desire more. Again, a strong follow-up opportunity for integrators with their existing clients.
• In terms of the most-desired features, homeowners cite aesthetics as most important, followed by connectivity and build quality. For integrators, using these three features as lead talking points with prospective customers can prove fruitful.
• Looking at automation, survey respondents report schedules, grouping, positioning, and more control options are most-desired control features. This is helpful for integrators when determining which key control factors should be on the top of the list for programming.
• Clients find that batteries last 6 months or less. Specifically, 43% of respondent indicate their shade batteries last 6 months, while 22% say their shade batteries conk out after 4 months. The key takeaway for dealers is that if you sell battery powered shades, be sure to follow-up inside of 6 months.

“Our survey findings indicate that homeowners are hungry for more motorized shades and better control. And in serving this demand, the Bond Bridge platform is being adopted by more and more leading shade brands industrywide. There is no better time for CI’s to get onboard and take advantage of these opportunities,” says Bond Home CEO Zohar Shinar.

The Bond Home portfolio makes it easy for the CI to bring advanced control regardless of brand.  The Bond Bridge ($99) and Bond Bridge Pro ($379) consolidate and unify control of shades from:

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• Shade motor manufacturers such as Nice, Somfy, J. Geiger, Rollease Acmeda, Bofu, A-OK, Dooya, Gaposa, MotionBlinds / Coulisse, PowerShades, J-Star, BTX and Trax, with more to come
• Home automation platforms such as Control4, Crestron, Nice/Elan, Savant, RTI, URC, Homebridge, Hubitat
• Voice activation platforms such as Josh.ai, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and SmartThings

Bond’s wireless, battery-powered Sidekick for Shades keypad provides direct RF control of shades and awnings that utilize Rollease Acmeda, Somfy, Dooya, Nice and AMP motors. The Sidekick Scene Keypad can trigger events of shades, entertainment, HVAC, and lighting systems through Control4, Elan, RTI and URC home automation systems. (Both Sidekicks MSRP for $79).

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