In most years the numbers and trends revealed in the CE Pro 100 Brand Analysis reflect the tenor of the U.S. and even the global economy, and the latest edition is no different.
In the U.S. unemployment is low, the stock market is doing well and there are hints that home sales could improve as remodeling expenditure also continues to flourish.
Having learned some lessons from the global recession a decade ago, the custom installation industry has developed a diverse array of products that — maybe more importantly — appeal to mainstream consumers, who are also increasingly smart-home aware thanks to the emergence of voice-control platforms, smart speakers, smart locks and other common devices.
The influx of mainstream products has created a learning and creativity curve for integrators who are implementing much different systems now than they did a decade ago, but still reliably meeting the needs of their clients.
The Brand Analysis surveying the annual CE Pro 100 list of integration companies demonstrates a mix of traditional custom-channel products and more mainstream offerings.
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SnapAV, Sony, Sonos and Control4 are just a few examples of brands that continue to have huge impact for CE Pro 100 companies and their customers.
SnapAV and its array of brands can be found throughout the list, whether it’s A/V, infrastructure, enhancements and more. Sonos continues to do well both in and outside of its core Wireless Speakers, ranking highly in Amplifiers, Floorstanding/Bookshelf Speakers and Subwoofers.
Sony’s growth has reached a level of near total saturation in video through its domination of the TV, projector and Ultra Blu-ray/Blu-ray disc categories. And Control4’s name maintained its top-five place in several areas.
Curious to compare 2019 to last year’s results? Click here!
Meanwhile, as in past years, CE Pro is making special mention of several “Bullet Brands” that made particularly strong gains last year.
Keep in mind that the Brand Analysis data comes from integration firms that entered the CE Pro 100, which ranks the industry’s highest revenue companies (providing a typically higher-income customer, but not accounting for thousands of other firms in the custom channel); because companies qualify and drop out year after year, this naturally can impact the Brand Analysis on top of whose manufacturers may have picked up or lost dealers during the past year.
Representing the industry’s diversity and providing insights into traction for new opportunities, this year’s Brand Analysis features 61 categories.
New to this year’s analysis are Accounting Software, Automated Irrigation and Water Leak protection, while categories such as Cybersecurity, Vehicles and Fiber-Optic Cabling represent others that have only been tracked for two to three years.
In addition, it’s worth noting the uptick in numbers for the Remote Monitoring category, which bodes well for their longterm revenue possibilities.
Remote monitoring — solutions like SnapAV’s OvrC and its compatible products, as well as Control4’s Ihiji have enjoyed widespread CE Pro 100 adoption — can help deliver recurring revenue to integrators’ coffers, while augmenting their customer service support capabilities.
Download the full 2019 CE Pro Brand Analysis here!
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