Wi-Fi/Bluetooth air fryers are transforming culinary experiences in American kitchens. This exploration into their rising adoption unveils a complex landscape of preferences, obstacles, and potential opportunities, heralding a new era of smart cooking appliances.
Technology touches on so many aspects of our lives now. Even our kitchen appliances are changing because of it! The humble air fryer, which has quickly become a familiar fixture in American kitchens, is now evolving with the integration of WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities.
Chef Lola’s Kitchen conducted a survey of 1,000 adults in the United States through Prolific.com to gauge people’s familiarity with, ownership of, and preferences for WiFi and Bluetooth-enabled air fryers and to understand what may be inhibiting the adoption of these smart appliances.
The Key Findings:
- 42% of Americans are familiar with Wifi or Bluetooth-enabled air fryers, yet only 5% own them.
- Lack of counter space (45%) and necessity (40%) are the main barriers to buying an air fryer.
- Among prospective buyers, 60.2% prefer conventional air fryers over smart ones.
- 54.3% of prospective buyers see no need for smart air fryers with WiFi/Bluetooth features.
- Gen Z and Millennials are more likely to switch to WiFi/Bluetooth-enabled air fryers if prices align.
- 71.5% of WiFi/Bluetooth-enabled air fryer owners report a positive impact on their cooking experience.
Familiarity and Ownership
Approximately 42.1% of respondents are familiar with smart air fryers. This result indicates a moderate awareness level regarding incorporating smart technology in kitchen appliances.
The overall ownership of air fryers of any type is quite high, with 70.9% of the total respondents owning one. This continues to suggest that air fryers have established their place in modern kitchens and their usage isn’t merely a passing trend.
Across these generations, more people own conventional air fryers over WiFi/Bluetooth-enabled ones. In total, 93.4% of respondents own a conventional air fryer, 4.9% have a WiFi/Bluetooth-enabled one, and just 1.7% own both. This significant lean toward conventional air fryers could be due to various factors such as awareness, ease of use, lower price, or lack of interest in smart features.
Obstacles to Air Fryer Ownership
As far as what’s stopping some people from adopting this technology, Chef Lola’s Kitchen discovered the main barriers are both practical and conceptual.
The practical issues are mostly related to lack of counter space, price, and a surplus of existing appliances. On the conceptual side, a significant number of people do not see the need for an air fryer in their cooking routine. Despite this, there is some interest in future purchases, especially among Millennials and Gen X, which indicates a promising market potential among non-owners.
Should they decide to buy one, over half of respondents (60.2%) would opt for a conventional air fryer as opposed to a WiFi/Bluetooth-enabled version (16.6%). This preference spans all age groups, though Gen Z shows a more tech-savvy approach, with a quarter of respondents (25%) favoring the smart model.
Objections to WiFi/Bluetooth-enabled air fryers were primarily based on the perceived redundancy of features (54.3%) coupled with a steep price tag (34.1%). Intriguingly, over a quarter of those polled were either oblivious to WiFi/Bluetooth-enabled air fryers (27.4%) or harbored security reservations (26.9%).
Smart Features: Utilization and Satisfaction
As for most of those who own WiFi/Bluetooth-enabled air fryers, regular use of smart features is a common thread, underscoring their convenience-seeking behavior. The smartphone application, preset cooking programs, and real-time monitoring stand out as the most-used features, demonstrating users’ desire for easy control over their culinary endeavors.
In evaluating their cooking experience, nearly three-quarters of respondents (72%) affirmed the WiFi/Bluetooth-enabled air fryer had a positive or very positive effect, while just 3% expressed dissatisfaction. Users also conveyed their ideas for improvement, calling for improved connectivity (45.7%) and better voice control with a broader range of app recipes (40%), reflecting their continuous aspiration for a seamless and versatile cooking experience.
Sticking to Tradition: Perspectives from Conventional Air Fryer Owners
For survey respondents who own a conventional air fryer, the primary reasons for forgoing a smart one are price and a perceived lack of need for WiFi or Bluetooth features. Ease of use and familiarity with conventional air fryers also play significant roles. Security concerns regarding smart features are relatively minor.
When it comes to considering an upgrade to a smart air fryer, the responses are mixed. While some owners show interest(34%), a considerable number are unsure (29%) while 37% are leaning toward not considering a smart air fryer.
If smart air fryers were available at a similar price point to conventional ones, more owners would consider switching, although a significant portion remains uncertain.
There is a slight generational difference, with Gen Z and Millennials showing a higher willingness than Boomers and Gen X to switch to WiFi/Bluetooth-enabled air fryers if the prices were similar.
Dual-Ownership Insights: Smart vs Conventional Air Fryers
For those who own both versions of air fryers, two-thirds of respondents prefer WiFi/Bluetooth-enabled air fryers over conventional ones.
Most respondents make use of the smart features of their WiFi/Bluetooth-enabled air fryers, with the smartphone app being the most frequently used feature. These smart features have had a positive impact on the cooking experience for the majority of respondents, although Millennials have the highest proportion of “no effect” responses.
Regarding desired improvements, more than half of the survey respondents want more app recipes and tips. Improved connectivity, additional preset programs, better real-time control, and enhanced voice control are also areas for improvement identified by a significant portion of respondents.
Conclusion
Wi-Fi/Bluetooth-enabled air fryers have become a transformative force in American kitchens, yet their adoption remains limited due to practical and perceived barriers. A significant percentage of the population is familiar with these smart appliances, but ownership is low due to constraints like counter space, cost, and a perceived lack of necessity.
Conventional air fryers still dominate, with users appreciating their ease of use and familiarity. However, generational differences hint at a shift, with younger generations expressing greater openness to smart appliances if pricing aligns with conventional models. For those owning Wi-Fi/Bluetooth-enabled air fryers, user satisfaction is high, albeit with desires for improvements like better connectivity (Phone and Voice) and broader recipe options within the app. As technology evolves and potentially overcomes existing barriers, the trend toward smart kitchen appliances seems likely to continue, heralding a new era of connected culinary experiences.
Methodology
Chef Lola’s Kitchen surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults (ages 18+) using Prolific from June 20 to June 23, 2023. For the analysis, we defined Baby Boomers as respondents born between 1946 and 1964, Generation X as respondents born between 1965 and 1980, Millennials as respondents born between 1981 to 1996, and Generation Z as respondents born after 1996. Of our respondents, 50% identified as female, and 50% as male. Respondents’ ages ranged from 18 to 76 years old; 15% Gen Z, 31% millennials, 27% Gen X, and 27% baby boomers.
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