Researching Smart Lighting Adoption Across the Nordics.

I led a year-long Nordic competitor and behavioral research initiative, mapping 25+ smart lighting ecosystems to uncover cultural drivers of product adoption and inform long-term positioning strategy.

My Role

Market Researcher

Timeline

~2 years

Company

Signify (formerly Philips Lighting)

Brands

Philips Hue, WiZ, Philips Smart LED

Context

Smart lighting sales performance varied significantly across Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland — despite being treated internally as one unified Nordic market.

There had been no comprehensive competitor analysis since the brand launch. The team lacked clarity on how purchasing priorities and ecosystem preferences differed across countries.


My objective was to understand the behavioral drivers behind smart lighting adoption and evaluate how competitive ecosystems were positioned across the Nordics.

My approach

I mapped 25+ competitors across the Nordics and segmented them by technological infrastructure:

  • Tuya-based private labels

  • Gateway-based systems

  • WiFi/Bluetooth systems

Using a structured framework based on Product, Price, Place, and Promotion, I analyzed:

  • Technology architecture and ecosystem logic

  • Pricing and positioning

  • Retail presence and distribution

  • Digital communication and messaging

I combined desk research, retail observations, and cross-market comparison to identify behavioral patterns behind purchase decisions.

Ongoing Market Monitoring

To avoid the research getting outdated, I developed a tracking system using publicly available smart lighting app download data across competitors.

This allowed the marketing team to:

  • Estimate shifts in relative ecosystem adoption

  • Identify emerging players

  • Monitor changes in user preference over time

The system became a continuous strategic reference point.

Key Insights

Despite geographic proximity, the markets behaved differently:

  • Finland showed strong price sensitivity

  • Denmark valued advanced technological ecosystems

  • Sweden was structurally saturated by a dominant competitor ecosystem

  • Norway revealed distinct adoption drivers

A unified Nordic positioning strategy was misaligned with actual user behavior.

Impact

The project expanded from a Denmark-focused analysis to a Nordic-wide strategic initiative.

The findings informed positioning discussions across both hardware and software products and contributed to long-term branding adjustments.

Reflection

This project shifted my focus from marketing execution to behavioral insight.
I became interested in how cultural context, trust, and ecosystem logic shape product adoption — which ultimately led me toward UX.

Copyright


©2026 Judit Farkas

Contact

dzsudicorn@gmail.com

Say hello