Play with 100 smart home gadgets at new Sears showroom

The retail chain opened a 4,000-square-foot Connected Solutions showroom in its Tanforan mall outlet this week, giving customers an Apple Store-style experience with more than 100 smart home gadgets, from video doorbells to Internet-connected garage door openers and light bulbs.

“This is the hotbed for these sorts of products,” said Ryan Ciovacco, president of consumer electronics and connected solutions for the chain’s parent company, Sears Holdings.

The showroom opens at a time when Sears is looking to boost sagging numbers in areas like appliance sales, home improvements and related services.

According to a survey released last week by Argus Insights, consumer interest in smart devices is lagging this year because homeowners who are less tech-centric don’t see the need for them.

“Educating consumers on the wide array of connected home solutions is the single most important element needed to drive the market forward,” said Buffone, executive director of NPD’s Connected Intelligence Home Automation Advisory Service.

About 23 percent of people in that age group have installed at least one smart home product, compared with 12 percent of all consumers, and 41 percent of Millennials surveyed say they are interested in those devices.

[...] while retailers like Lowe’s have sections displaying connected home gadgets, and some Target stores sell Google’s Nest thermostats and smoke detectors, Sears’ hands-on showroom is the first of its kind.

In the San Bruno Sears store, the Connected Solutions area is designed as a typical home, including a kitchen, living room, nursery, gym, garage and bathroom.

The showcase also displays Internet-connected TV monitors, streaming media players, security cameras, treadmills, scales, fitness tracking wrist straps and sensor-packed basketballs.