The editors at Residential Systems asked several CI distributors what the current trends and bestsellers are in the outdoor AV category. Here’s what they had to say:
John Dunne, North America Managing Director, Exertis
“Outdoor living has been a growing trend for many years in those parts of the country where the climate supports it. Now Covid has added a whole new impetus for the category’s growth as more and more Americans have embraced mobile living as a lifestyle. RV sales have been booming, and with that boom has come increased demand for all of the products and technologies that empower traveling Americans to stay connected with the world while on the road. Custom-fitted RV displays, sound systems, cameras, and security products are red hot at the moment. So, too, are drones because many nomadic travelers are using them for recreational videography. For more stationary Americans, weather resistant displays, speakers, lighting, and security system sales have been very strong and are likely to remain so.
Dennis Holzer, Executive Director, PowerHouse Alliance
“I expect the outdoor category to spike in Q2 and Q3 of 2021. Homeowners are looking for new ways to entertain at home and, as the nice weather approaches, they will start to think about making upgrades to their backyards and patios. Consumers are looking to duplicate their kitchen and family room in the backyard. Outdoor networking products and displays will be key players in the outdoor AV market. As consumers look to upgrade their outdoor entertainment area with upgraded outdoor displays, they will rely on networking equipment to support the new devices being added to the outdoor entertainment area.”
Wally Whinna, Senior Vice President of Local, SnapAV
Consumers are continuing to increase the amount of time they spend outdoors, and they are bringing their entertainment with them. The demand for better sounding outdoor solutions increases every year. You need a broad selection of solutions to satisfy the needs of anyone from the novice to the expert. Multi-speaker garden systems with outdoor subwoofers, as well as the wireless solutions from Sonos, are very popular. Additionally, sales of TVs built specifically for outdoor applications are also increasing as more dealers understand what these purpose-built TVs offer in reliability, longevity, features, and profit.
Bob Appleby, Vice President & General Manager, ADI North America
Whether it’s a backyard, patio, or courtyard area, these spaces have long been used for entertaining family and guests. In recent years, the demand for creating a living room experience outdoors has been on the rise. We have seen a significant increase in bringing audio to the pool, lounging areas, and around firepits. Outdoor subwoofer/satellite speaker systems have proven to provide a better and more comfortable listening experience. The low impedance solutions are ideal for smaller areas, while high impedance systems can easily scale to cover the largest of outdoor leisure and entertainment areas.
While outdoor audio has been a strong category for many years, outdoor video was mostly reserved for milder climates and larger budgets. Outdoor-rated TV performance has improved dramatically, and the increased demand has made this category become more affordable.
This is an excerpt from an article that originally ran on residentialsystems.com.
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