Daniel J SaitFor years, the smart home industry has relied on a combination of market reports, regional studies and anecdotal evidence to understand where the market is headed. Ryan Bardach believes there is an opportunity to bring those insights together in a more coordinated and meaningful way.
As CEDIA’s Director of Research, Ryan is leading the association’s newly established in-house research division, an initiative designed to deliver consistent global market intelligence to the professional smart home channel. It is an ambitious undertaking, but one that Ryan sees as increasingly important as the industry continues to mature and evolve.
“Building CEDIA’s first in-house research division is an exciting opportunity to bring greater clarity and confidence to the smart home channel,” Ryan says.
For Ryan, however, the launch of the division is about much more than a single report or data set.
His vision is to establish CEDIA as a trusted source of market intelligence for the smart home profession, providing members with data that helps them make informed decisions about pricing, service offerings, hiring strategies and long-term business planning. In an industry where technology evolves rapidly and market conditions can shift quickly, reliable intelligence can become a significant competitive advantage.
Ryan arrives at CEDIA with a background that is anything but conventional. Before entering the market research field, he built experience across the military, telecommunications and operations management sectors. Those experiences helped shape a practical approach to research that focuses not simply on collecting data, but on turning information into actionable business insights.
Over the course of his career, Ryan has worked with clients ranging from private equity firms to B2B and B2C retail organisations, as well as companies operating in the energy and utilities sectors. His expertise spans both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, including market assessments, voice-of-customer programmes, brand sentiment analysis, employee engagement studies and long-term tracking projects.
That breadth of experience is particularly relevant in the smart home sector, where understanding the market often requires balancing hard numbers with human behaviour. Revenue trends may reveal what is happening in the market, but customer attitudes, purchasing motivations and technology adoption patterns help explain why.
Ryan’s academic background reflects that dual perspective. He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and history from Indiana University, alongside a professional market research certification from University of Georgia. The combination provides a foundation for understanding both the human and economic forces shaping the connected home industry.
His appointment also arrives at a pivotal moment for CEDIA. In recent years, the association has expanded its focus beyond education and advocacy, investing in initiatives designed to strengthen its influence across the wider residential technology ecosystem. The creation of a dedicated research function represents another step in that evolution, enabling CEDIA to generate proprietary intelligence while developing a deeper understanding of the markets it serves.
Among the first major projects under Ryan’s leadership is a comprehensive study of the UK smart home market. The research is designed to provide a clearer picture of the industry’s current landscape, examining areas such as business performance, revenue trends, technology adoption, market challenges and future opportunities.
The findings will be unveiled in early October and are expected to provide valuable benchmarking data for integrators, manufacturers and industry stakeholders across the UK. The study forms part of a broader effort to better understand the smart home market while recognising regional differences.
“The more participation we have, the more accurately we can reflect the reality of the market,” Ryan explains. “Our goal is to provide insights that businesses can use to make better decisions, identify opportunities and understand how their experiences compare with the wider industry.”
The initiative is not simply about creating reports. Future studies are expected to explore both business and technology trends, helping industry stakeholders better understand opportunities, challenges and emerging areas of growth. From artificial intelligence and intelligent lighting to energy management and integrated home technologies, the pace of change within the sector continues to accelerate.
For CEDIA members, the timing is significant. The smart home market is experiencing rapid change, driven by advances in AI, lighting, energy management, security and integrated home systems. At the same time, competition is increasing and customer expectations continue to evolve. Access to reliable market intelligence can help businesses navigate that complexity with greater confidence.
As preparations continue for the launch of the UK version of the study this autumn, CEDIA is encouraging industry professionals to participate and contribute their perspectives. The broader the participation, the more meaningful and representative the findings will be for the industry as a whole.
With Ryan in place, CEDIA’s research division aims to become one of the industry’s most trusted sources of insight, helping smart home professionals better understand where the market stands today and where it is headed tomorrow.
UK smart home professionals are invited to participate in the study by completing the survey by clicking here.
The results of the research will be presented in partnership with Essential Install in October 2026.