Do you take this AI?
Sorry cutlery sets. Smart speakers have taken the no.1 and no.2 spot in John Lewis’ list of the most popular wedding gift requests.
The British retailer namechecked the Sonos One as especially popular when couples engage in the now accepted tradition of asking their friends and family, very specifically, for expensive stuff they’d quite like.
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John Lewis said the category is the most popular “by value” so if the list was done by sheer volume, the result might be quite different. Also on the most wanted list were: soundbars, smart thermostats, firepits, Star Wars toys, barista coffee machines, gin glasses and the (excellent) board game Settlers of Catan.
“Couples are choosing technology and in particular smart home products over traditional homeware,’ Tasneem Shafiq, manager of John Lewis’ Gift List Service, told House Beautiful. And people aren’t afraid to ask for exactly what they want – the most expensive request for 2018 is a £3,499 LG OLED smart TV compared to in 2011 when a £2,500 sofa topped that list.
Smart speaker sales have been very strong for a while now – with the Echo and Echo Dot topping Amazon’s own charts over Christmas and lots of discounts and giveaways – but their appearance at the top of something like a department store’s wedding gift list shows how ubiquitous they’re becoming with well, regular people.
Tech brands haven’t quite managed to wedge themselves into the most desired brands, though, these remain John Lewis (duh), Le Crueset and Robert Welch. Give Sonos another year.
