CES, the world’s largest consumer technology event, is taking place this week in Las Vegas, highlighting the newest gadgets and technological developments in the consumer space. The show is often filled with cutting-edge (and expensively priced) products, many of which will never make it to market, but CES also has plenty of new products that will help define the trends we will see throughout the year. Many of the technologies that we’re checking out at the show will soon be in the homes, cars and pockets of the general public. 

As we explore CES, here are some trends we see developing in the consumer electronics space this year:

Smart Home
Consumers are using technology to make their homes smarter and more efficient.  Influenced by the growing use of smartphones, watches and tablets, people are interacting with their devices in a more connected way than ever before.  We see this with security monitoring, entertainment systems, lighting irrigation and more.  CES promises to showcase the next line of connected objects and devices that will be a part of our everyday lives.

As Amazon adds onto the already impressive 70,000 skills available with Alexa or Google’s home assistant continues to play catch up with newer features, one thing is clear — there will be plenty of companies vying to be the next connected device in your bedroom, kitchen, living room and outdoor space of your house.

The Altro Smart Lock combines a video doorbell and connected deadbolt controller into one handy security gadget.  It links to phones and the cloud over Bluetooth and Wi-Fi . That lets you lock and unlock your front door remotely, or automatically when it detects your presence. 

8K TVS
The hot focus in the world of television right now is 8K.  Touted as the optimum visual experience 8K TVs will have a 7,680 x 4,320 resolution. At 16 times the resolution of a Full HD television or four times the resolution of an Ultra HD TV or 4K TV, 8K would bring the next level of clarity.  Samsung has already released the first 8K TV, and LG has introduced the first flexible rolling 8K OLED TV screen.  While we don’t anticipate the 8K TVs making a huge splash for the next couple of years, 8K will come eventually and it will be important to consider this next-gen resolution and the influence it will have on corresponding products in the entertainment and gaming markets.

The Samsung 85Q900R 8K television

Health Tech
Fitness wearables have been all the craze, but smarter sensors and technology has evolved to shape a much larger health-tech category that will continue to extend beyond fitness wearables.

While current fitness trackers can gauge activity, new improvements to wearables, as well as improvements to their ecosystem, will allow consumers to track activity, but also things like blood glucose, blood pressure, weight, and other biologic measurements. Being able to track your overall health, and see how it is trending over time, will allow those with health conditions to track their well-being and recognize risk factors before they intensify.

Beyond wearables, sleep technology in health tech, for example, includes everything from mattresses to white noise devices to dedicated sleep products. Air purifiers are being integrated with smart tech and new form factors to encourage more people to make them part of their lives. Health improvement technology is shifting from specialized medical devices for specific conditions to consumer lifestyle products everyone can benefit from, one category at a time. As the popularity of virtual assistants continues to grow, expect to see more and more health tech companies coming up with innovative tech products that improve our health and wellness.  And look for more of these devices being able to interact with each other.

The PRIA™ by BLACK+DECKER™ Home Care Companion is an automated medication management and home health assistant that allows a caregiver to monitor an individual’s medication and healthcare schedule. It is able to schedule different medication doses and schedules, provide reminder alerts, and track visits 

What does this mean for brand licensing?
CES brings new technologies to the forefront that will not only shape the future of the industry but will also offer some significant licensing opportunities for the world’s most recognized consumer electronics brands.  To maintain significance and stay connected with consumers in a world that is progressing toward further and more seamless connectivity, well-known tech brands can use strategic brand licensing as a tool to grow their brand quicker and keep ahead of advancing innovation in the industry. 

Through licensing, brands can partner with top-line manufacturers and businesses that are at the forefront of developing new and innovative technologies and in turn, grow their revenue, increase their customer base and bring innovative products to market faster and more efficiently.  Whether it’s smart home appliances, health tech equipment or new TVs and gaming devices, brands can look to the future trends in consumer electronics, many of which we see emerging at CES, to identify substantial white space opportunities where they can grow their business with little upfront cost through strategic brand licensing.