New research from Persil and Comfort reveals that while UK households are rapidly adopting smart home technology, many are feeling the pressure of managing it all. Busy parents, in particular, are navigating work, family, and an expanding array of connected devices, often without the right products to complement their smart appliances.
Smart tech adoption on the rise
Smart appliances continue to gain popularity, with 31% of Brits planning to purchase a smart device within the next year. Additionally, 46% of respondents say smart technology improves their quality of life. However, the convenience of connected living comes with new demands: 70% of smart device owners admit they have sometimes felt overwhelmed by having to use and manage their smart tech. Managing multiple devices without access to the right tools adds layers of responsibility, requiring time and attention for updates, settings, and finding compatible products. Without proper solutions, these devices risk becoming redundant.
Key findings
- 70% of smart device owners feel overwhelmed managing their tech.
- 36% spend over an hour daily maintaining devices, equating to almost 8 hours per week.
- 74% of parents feel overwhelmed by smart tech, and 42% say technology interferes with time spent with friends and family.
- Even Gen Z, keen adopters of smart tech, report struggles, with 74% feeling overwhelmed.
Persil and Comfort have identified this group as the 'Tech Sandwich Generation': Millennial and Gen X parents squeezed between work, caregiving, and the mental load of managing smart homes.
Smart homes need smarter products
With smart washing machines on the rise—one in four UK homes is expected to own an auto dose machine by 2030—consumers are seeking products that work seamlessly with their appliances to reduce tech overwhelm. Until now, no major brand has designed laundry products specifically for auto dose technology, leading to issues such as poor cleaning, fading fragrance, and residue buildup. In response, Persil and Comfort are launching Smart Series, the first detergent and conditioner engineered for auto dose washing machines, developed in collaboration with Samsung.
Using state-of-the-art robotics and AI-accelerated digital testing, Smart Series works in total sync with the machine to deliver precise, reliable dosing. Powered by PRO-CISION Technology, it offers advanced stain removal, long-lasting fragrance, and anti-clogging formulations that flow easily through auto dose reservoirs, helping maintain machine health. This addresses key consumer pain points and ensures that invested technology performs at its best, delivering the convenience it was designed to provide.
Industry perspective
Tati Lindenberg, chief marketing officer of Unilever Home Care, said: "Smart home tech is reshaping daily life, but many consumers feel overwhelmed by managing it all. The Tech Sandwich Generation wants solutions that simplify, not complicate. Smart Series is designed to work in harmony with auto dose machines, delivering top results every time and taking one more decision off busy households' plates."
Persil and Comfort are launching a campaign to address this insight, initially unveiling a fictional humanoid robot called D.O.S.E ('Detergent Optimisation & Smart Estimation') capable of calculating and dispensing the perfect amount of detergent. This creative tease reveals that consumers don't necessarily need another device; they need smarter household products that work seamlessly with the technology they already have.
