BRAND ANALYSIS SPECIAL REPORT: CE PRO 2019 EXCLUSIVE RESEARCH - 2019 CE PRO - Honeywell
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19 C E PRO
20
CE PRO 2019
BRAND ANALYSIS
SPECIAL REPORT:
EXCLUSIVE RESEARCHCE PRO 2019 BRAND ANALYSIS SPECIAL REPORT: RESEARCH FAMILIAR BRANDS DOMINATE THE MARKET A handful of go-to names stand out for CE Pro 100 companies as revealed by the annual Brand Analysis, but the 61 catego- ries tracked also shed light on the increasingly diversified product portfolio offered by today’s highly successful integra- tors. by Robert Archer In most years the numbers and trends revealed in the CE Pro 100 Brand Analysis reflect the tenor of the U.S. and even the global economy, and the latest edition is no different. In the U.S. unemployment is low, the stock market is doing well and there are hints that home sales could improve as remodeling expenditure also continues to flourish. Having learned some lessons from the global recession a decade ago, the custom installation industry has developed a diverse array of products that — maybe more importantly — appeal to mainstream consumers, who are 2 CE Pro: CE Pro 2019 Brand Analysis www.cepro.com
CE PRO 2019 BRAND ANALYSIS SPECIAL REPORT:
RESEARCH
also increasingly smart-home aware thanks to the emergence of voice-control SnapAV, Sony,
platforms, smart speakers, smart locks and other common devices.
The influx of mainstream products has created a learning and creativity curve Sonos and
for integrators who are implementing much different systems now than they Control4 are just
did a decade ago, but still reliably meeting the needs of their clients. The Brand
Analysis surveying the annual CE Pro 100 list of integration companies dem-
a few examples
onstrates a mix of traditional custom-channel products and more mainstream of brands that
offerings.
SnapAV, Sony, Sonos and Control4 are just a few examples of brands that
continue to have
continue to have huge impact for CE Pro 100 companies and their custom- huge impact
ers. SnapAV and its array of brands can be found throughout the list, whether
for CE Pro 100
it’s A/V, infrastructure, enhancements and more. Sonos continues to do well
both in and outside of its core Wireless Speakers, ranking highly in Amplifiers, companies and
Floorstanding/Bookshelf Speakers and Subwoofers. Sony’s growth has reached their customers.
a level of near total saturation in video through its domination of the TV, projec-
tor and Ultra Blu-ray/Blu-ray disc categories. And Control4’s name maintained
its top-five place in several areas.
Meanwhile, as in past years CE Pro is making special mention of several “Bul-
let Brands” that made particularly strong gains last year (see sidebar, right).
Keep in mind that the Brand Analysis data comes from integration firms that
entered the CE Pro 100, which ranks the industry’s highest-revenue companies
(providing a typically higher-income customer, but not accounting for thou-
sands of other firms in the custom channel); because companies qualify and
drop out year after year, this naturally can impact the Brand Analysis on top of
whose manufacturers may have picked up or lost dealers during the past year.
Representing the industry’s diversity and providing insights into traction for
new opportunities, this year’s Brand Analysis features 61 categories. New to this
year’s analysis are Accounting Software, Automated Irrigation and Water Leak
protection, while categories such as Cybersecurity, Vehicles and Fiber-Optic
Cabling represent others that have only been tracked for two to three years.
In addition, it’s worth noting the uptick in numbers for the Remote Monitor-
ing category, which bodes well for their long-term revenue possibilities. Remote
monitoring — solutions like SnapAV’s OvrC and its compatible products, as well
as Control4’s Ihiji have enjoyed widespread CE Pro 100 adoption — can help
deliver recurring revenue to integrators’ coffers, while augmenting their cus-
tomer service support capabilities.
3 CE Pro: CE Pro 2019 Brand Analysis www.cepro.comCE PRO 2019 BRAND ANALYSIS SPECIAL REPORT:
RESEARCH
BRAND LEADER: Audio BRAND LEADER:
Wireless Speakers: Sonos Home Enhancements MOVING UP
In-Wall/In-Ceiling Loudspeakers: Sonance
Audio Amplifiers: Sonos
Lighting Fixtures: Ketra
Water Leak Detection: Waterbug, Watercop THE RANKS
Floorstanding/Bookshelf Loudspeakers: Racks: Middle Atlantic
Sonos Rack Cooling Systems: Middle Atlantic Every year certain companies com-
A/V Receivers: Sony Remote Monitored Services: SnapAV/
Home Theater Preamplifiers/ mand some attention for garnering a
Araknis/OvrC
Processors: Anthem, Integra, Marantz Power Conditioners: SnapAV/Wattbox significant bump in mentions from CE
Outdoor Audio: Sonance Furniture: Salamander Designs
Soundbars: Sonos Pro 100 dealers — whether it’s due to
Seating: CinemaTech
Media Servers: Sonos Mounts: SnapAV/Strong turnover among the companies on the
Turntables: McIntosh Lifts: Future Automation
Subwoofers: Sonos Central Vacuum: H-P Products/Dirt Devil/
list, or because they entered a new cat-
Speaker Cables/Interconnects: Vacuflo egory, became more channel friendly,
SnapAV/Binary/Wirepath
Headphones: Sennheiser BRAND LEADER: Security increased marketing spend, etc. Here’s
Multiroom A/V Systems: Control4, Sonos Security & Fire Systems: Honeywell Home/ a glimpse at some of the companies:
Acoustical Treatments: SnapAV Resideo
IP Security Cameras: SnapAV/Wirepath/
James Loudspeaker went from be-
BRAND LEADER: Video Luma/Visualint ing outside the top five in a few speaker
Flat-Panel Televisions: Sony Video Doorbells: Ring
Projectors: Sony Access Control: Control4 categories to become a serious player
Projection Screens: Screen Innovations Smart Door Locks/Dead Bolt: Yale among the CE Pro 100’s architectural/
HDMI Cables: SnapAV/Binary/Wirepath
Blu-ray/Ultra Blu-ray Disc Players: Sony
Outdoor Video: SunBriteTV
BRAND LEADER: freestanding, soundbar, outdoor audio
Satellite Television: DirecTV Dealer Support and subwoofer options.
Whole-House Video Distribution: Control4 General Distribution: SnapAV Venerable audio brands McIntosh
Design Proposal Software: D-Tools
and Klipsch had particularly solid
BRAND LEADER: Business Management Software:
QuickBooks
Networking/ Connectivity Buying Groups: ProSource
showings in turntables and floorstand-
Networking: SnapAV/Araknis/OvrC Accounting Software: QuickBooks ing/bookshelf speakers.
Fiber-Optic Cable: Cleerline Technology Tools & Testers: Fluke
Network Cable: SnapAV/Binary SnapAV’s brands are spread across
Vehicles: Ford
Structured Cabling: SnapAV/Wirepath the 61 categories, but its Dragonfly
Cell-Phone Boosters: Wilson Electronics
Phone Systems/Intercoms: Panasonic projection screen offering and its OvrC-
Cybersecurity: SonicWall powered remote monitoring solutions
BRAND LEADER: had big support.
Control & Automation Alarm.com continues to be a force
Automated Irrigation: Rachio in security and automation sectors.
Whole-House Control & Automation:
Control4 With strong gains in lifts and
Lighting Control: Lutron
mounts, Future Automation proves
Universal Remote/Tablets: Control4
Motorized Window Treatments: Lutron clients will pay for premium quality.
HVAC Energy Smart Grid Management:
Control4
IR Distribution Systems: SnapAV/Binary
Voice Control: Amazon
4 CE Pro: CE Pro 2019 Brand Analysis www.cepro.comCE PRO 2019 BRAND ANALYSIS SPECIAL REPORT:
RESEARCH
AUDIO
Wireless Speakers A/V Receivers
Sonos Control4 Bose Denon Apple Sony Integra Marantz Anthem Denon
BULLET
BRAND
88% 20% 16% 13% 12% 78% 40% 34% 31% 25%
Remaining relatively stagnant from the previous year’s numbers, the For five years running Sony has dominated the category. In the 2018
wireless speaker category features the same companies in the same Brand Analysis CE Pro awarded the brand a Bullet Brand designation
order. Sonos’ count grew slightly, and it appears after showing up in for its year-to-year growth from 2017, and it continues upward. Doing
the list for a few years that Denon has firmly established the HEOS the same is Anthem, which leapfrogs Denon by adding more than 20
name as a player in the category. percent to its previous year’s totals, Anthem leapfrogs Denon.
In-Wall/In-Ceiling Loudspeakers Home Theater Preamps/Processors
Sonance Origin Klipsch James Bowers & Anthem Integra Marantz McIntosh Control4
Acoustics Loudspeaker Wilkins
BULLET
BRAND
61% 36% 31% 30% 28% 30% 30% 30% 27% 23%
Sonance continues to maintain a comfortable advantage in the In- The home theater preamplifier/processor category has always been
Wall/In-Ceiling category. Origin has made gains among the CE Pro 100 competitive, but 2019’s numbers redefine that. Landing in a three-way
with its architectural products, while Klipsch and Bowers & Wilkins tie for first place, Anthem, Integra and Marantz each have 30 dealers
maintain their respective rankings. James Loudspeaker is new to the respectively using their products. Following closely behind is McIn-
top five. tosh, and surprisingly Control4. Control4 has never shown up in this
category before, and this year’s appearance could be the result of its
Audio Amplifiers
popularity in the whole-house audio market.
Sonos Control4 Sonance SnapAV/
Episode
Crown Sony Outdoor Audio
Sonance SnapAV/ James Origin Klipsch
Episode Loudspeaker Acoustics
65% 59% 51% 41% 37% 37%
Sonos has overtaken Control4, which could signify that its $599 Amp 55% 40% 33% 31% 27%
whole-house audio amplifier is gaining traction in the custom market.
Other companies likely benefitting from serving whole-house audio are Sonance and SnapAV’s Episode brand are the top two brands in the
Sonance, SnapAV and Crown. Crown is likely capitalizing on outdoor Outdoor Audio category. James Loudspeaker added nine dealers from
audio popularity. Just two years ago only 34 dealers mentioned Sonos. its 2018 Brand Analysis’ total to move past Origin. Klipsch also picked up
a few dealers to maintain its status as a top-five brand.
Floorstanding/Bookshelf Soundbars
Loudspeakers Sonos Leon James SnapAV/ Sonance
Sonos Klipsch Bowers & Sonance James Loudspeaker Episode
Wilkins Loudspeaker
BULLET BULLET
BRAND BRAND
70% 48% 31% 27% 23%
44% 35% 30% 29% 28%
Overall the category’s numbers have increased. Interestingly, the
For the second year in a row Sonos leads the Floorstanding/Bookshelf growth seems to be spread around through brand diversification.
category. Perennial top five brands Klipsch (adding seven dealers), Sonos and Leon have each taken respective steps back in terms of the
Bowers & Wilkins and Sonance round out the four most used brands in numbers, while other companies have increased their numbers from
the category. For the first time James Loudspeaker enters the top five. previous years.
5 CE Pro: CE Pro 2019 Brand Analysis www.cepro.comCE PRO 2019 BRAND ANALYSIS SPECIAL REPORT:
RESEARCH
AUDIO | VIDEO
Media Servers Headphones
Sonos Kaleid- Apple Autonomic Roku Sennheiser Sony Bowers & Bose Klipsch
escape Wilkins
53% 49% 45% 42% 34% 35% 31% 23% 17% 13%
Every manufacturer in the top five made gains except for Kaleides- For the most part the Headphones category remains unchanged.
cape. The result is that Kaleidescape falls into second place behind Sennheiser maintains its status as the most mentioned manufacturer
Sonos, whose ranking at the top could be due to the increased sales of followed closely by Sony and B&W. Bose also kept the same dealer
Sonos amplifier products as well as custom market companies such as levels and market position, and Klipsch jumped into the top five.
CasaTunes smartly integrating Sonos into its platform.
Turntables Multiroom A/V Systems
McIntosh Pro-Ject Marantz Sony Thorens Control4 Sonos Crestron SnapAV/ Savant Atlona
Binary
BULLET
BRAND
25% 21% 14% 14% 14% 63% 63% 37% 35% 33% 24%
Turntables is a sneaky popular category with overall numbers increas- Control4 and Sonos are deadlocked at the top for the second year in
ing the past several years as vinyl continues to show staying power. a row. Crestron, SnapAV’s Binary brand and Savant also remain as
Many dealers appear to be providing higher-end solutions, helping the the next-most used vendors. Since there are two tied for the top spot,
vaunted McIntosh brand move to the top. Thorens, however, lost a third we’re including Atlona here as the strong sixth choice, which could be
of its numbers from the previous year but still remained in the top five. in part a result of the company’s recent distribution agreement with
SnapAV.
Subwoofers
Acoustical Treatments
Sonos James Sunfire Klipsch SnapAV/
Loudspeaker Episode SnapAV Dynamat Cinema- Acoustic Kinetics Acoustic
Tech Innova- Noise Smart
BULLET tions Control
BRAND
54% 31% 31% 28% 25%
27% 23% 22% 18% 18% 13%
After a couple of years Sonos has firmly entrenched itself as the top
subwoofer vender. Like some of the other speaker categories James Continuing a growth period that extends over several years, the
has pushed its way into the top five. Adding more than 50 percent to Acoustical Treatments category shows another year of gains. It’s hard
its total from the previous year James now resides as the second most to determine the exact reasons for the category’s uptick other than per-
used subwoofer manufacturer. The rest of the top five features the same haps more dealers are doing commercial work including boardrooms,
manufacturers from previous years. restaurants, bars and nightclubs.
Speaker Cables/Interconnects Flat-Panel Televisions
SnapAV/ AudioQuest Liberty ICE Cable Planet Sony Samsung LG SnapAV/ Seura
Binary/ Waves SunBriteTV
Wirepath
74% 32% 32% 16% 14% 95% 88% 63% 59% 41%
Proving it is still capable of growing its brands even after the num- Sony and Samsung have owned the top two spots here for quite some
bers suggest it has plateaued in many categories, SnapAV through time, and Sony added three dealers from its previous year’s totals for a
its Binary and Wirepath brands seizes the top spot in the category. more comfortable advantage this year. Shooting up into the flat-panel
AudioQuest, Liberty and Planet Waves remain popular among CE Pro category, outdoor TV brands SunBriteTV and Seura entersthe top five
100 companies. ICE Cable makes the top five for the first time. with 59 dealers and 41 dealers respectively.
6 CE Pro: CE Pro 2019 Brand Analysis www.cepro.comCE PRO 2019 BRAND ANALYSIS SPECIAL REPORT:
RESEARCH
VIDEO | NETWORKING/CONNECTIVITY
Projectors Outdoor Video
Sony Epson Digital JVC Barco SnapAV/ Seura Sam- Sony Go- Peerless- LG Planar
Projection Sun- sung Vision AV
BriteTV
80% 50% 10% 10% 4% 4% 3% 3%
89% 52% 22% 17% 14%
Sony sits atop the Projector category, adding to its 2018 Top 100 fig- SunBriteTV and Seura have paced the Outdoor Video category for sev-
ures. Epson also enjoys support from a majority of CE Pro 100 dealers, eral years. Adding to its previous year’s tally SunBriteTV now has four
while perennial top brands Digital Projection, JVC and Barco rounding of every five CE Pro 100 dealers using its product line. Demonstrating
out the top five. After that the numbers vary greatly, perhaps suggest- that dealers are utilizing indoor TVs for outside installations, Sony and
ing dealers are addressing commercial installations with much variety. Samsung rank as the third most widely used brands, with GoVision,
Peerless-AV, LG and Planar rounding out the leaders.
Projection Screens
Screen Stewart SnapAV/ Da-Lite Draper
Satellite Television
Innovations Filmscreen Dragonfly
DirecTV Dish
BULLET
BRAND
67% 53% 48% 28% 15%
37% 28%
Building on the momentum it had started a couple of years ago, Screen
Innovations pads its category-leading numbers. The jockeying for sec- Continuing a trend that started a few years ago, Dish had another
ond position has gotten closer, as SnapAV’s Dragonfly brand picked up strong year-over-year showing within the CE Pro 100. The satellite ser-
11 more dealers’ mention from its 2018 figures to tighten the gap behind vice provider, which recently joined buying group ProSource’s ranks,
Stewart Filmscreen. gained a few dealers and in conjunction with DirecTV’s slow erosion of
dealers is closing the gap between the two companies.
HDMI Cables
Whole-House Video Distribution
SnapAV/ Audio- Liberty Metra Tribu- Vanco
Binary/ Quest taries/ Control4 Atlona SnapAV/ Crestron Savant
Wirepath Clarus Binary
8%
72% 38% 14% 14% 12%
52% 49% 46% 39% 32%
At a time in which fiber and A/V over IP are providing more choices to
help integrators distribute A/V signals, SnapAV and its brands increase For the most part the Whole-House Video Distribution category’s
their market share. New to the top five brands is Vanco, which in some numbers are very similar to the previous year’s figures. Generally, the
respects resembles SnapAV with the varied product selection it offers convenience of purchasing through vendors that offer multiple solu-
the integration channel to meet the vast needs of residential and com- tions drives this category’s numbers with three control and automation
mercial customers. manufacturers and two brands from SnapAV — Binary and Atlona —
dominating the field.
Disc Players (Blu-ray/Ultra Blu-ray)
Sony Samsung Kaleide- Oppo McIntosh
Networking
scape SnapAV/ Control4/ Luxul Access Ruckus
Araknis/ Pakedge Networks
OvrC
BULLET
BRAND
83% 34% 21% 17% 11%
61% 42% 39% 36% 32%
Reflecting their respective category exits, Samsung’s and Oppo’s num-
bers are down from past years, helping Sony increase its stranglehold SnapAV and its brands Araknis and OvrC have overtaken Control4’s
on this category. It is worth noting these numbers do not differentiate Pakedge brand. Signifying the size of jobs some CE Pro 100 dealers
between Blu-ray and Ultra Blu-ray players, the latter of which accord- do, it’s worth noting Access Networks is back in the top five with more
ing to various research groups is enjoying growth. than one-third of dealers implementing its enterprise-grade systems.
7 CE Pro: CE Pro 2019 Brand Analysis www.cepro.comCE PRO 2019 BRAND ANALYSIS SPECIAL REPORT:
RESEARCH
NETWORKING/CONNECTIVITY | CONTROL & AUTOMATION
Fiber-Optic Cable Phone Systems/Intercoms
Cleerline Celerity Tributaries Corning Metra SnapAV/ Panasonic Control4 Holovision Savant Legrand
Technology Binary
9% 7% 7% 4% 10% 8%
37% 19% 35% 30% 14%
Fiber-Optic is now a three-year-old category for CE Pro, and Cleerline After years of shifting system preferences from phones to intercoms,
is the unquestioned leader. Celerity is firmly entrenched as the second the category may be stabilizing. One thing that’s apparent is inter-
most used brand in the category followed by Tributaries, Corning and coms including entrance door/gate stations, have become favored by
Metra. An interesting footnote to this category is the mix of HDMI and integrators and homeowners. The move from landlines to cell phones
network product manufacturers that are now using fiber because of its could be facilitating these numbers. Over the next few years it will be
wide bandwidth capabilities. worth observing if Panasonic’s numbers continue to drop.
Cybersecurity
Network Cable
SonicWall SnapAV/ Cisco Ubiquiti
SnapAV/ Liberty ICE Cable AudioQuest ADI Araknis
Binary
4% 2% 2% 2%
60% 33% 22% 18% 17%
Cybersecurity is still a developing category for the Brand Analysis, as
After a few flat years the Network Cable category is surging again. evident by year-to-year shifting of the relatively small numbers. In
SnapAV’s Binary brand, as well as Liberty and AudioQuest have all the 2018 Brand Analysis SonicWall had mentions from approximately
increased the number of dealers to their respective totals. New to the 10 percent of the Top 100. This year’s numbers reveal no dominant
top five are ICE Cable and the distributor ADI. company and dealers using a variety of providers.
Structured Cabling Automated Irrigation
Rachio IRO Skydrop Watercop
SnapAV/ Legrand Leviton Middle Channel-
Wirepath Atlantic Vision
10% 9% 8%
63% 28% 1% 1% 1%
15%
Automated Irrigation is a new CE Pro Top 100 category. Not many deal-
Given demand for network connectivity it’s no surprise the Structured ers are offering these products and services, but already the clear choice
Cabling category is expanding, paced by SnapAV’s Wirepath brand. Le- among those that do such systems is Rachio.
grand, Leviton and Middle Atlantic are also showing gains to contribute
to the category’s growth.
Whole-House
Cell-Phone Boosters Control & Automation
Control4 Crestron Savant Lutron Alarm.com
Wilson SureCall Verizon AT&T Z-Boost
Electronics
BULLET
BRAND
11% 68% 45% 42% 23% 22%
48% 27% 7% 4%
Control4 is now firmly the most used Control & Automation brand
At one time Wilson Electronics dominated the Cell-Phone Booster at the top of the leaders, while Alarm.com continues to garner more
category. The past few years the company’s margin over SureCall had numbers in rounding out the top five. Both Crestron and Savant shed
begun to slip, but in this year’s list Wilson has stabilized its standings a few dealers, but resulting in a tightening between second and third
to comfortably remain the go-to manufacturer. most used manufacturers in the category.
8 CE Pro: CE Pro 2019 Brand Analysis www.cepro.comCE PRO 2019 BRAND ANALYSIS SPECIAL REPORT:
RESEARCH
CONTROL & AUTOMATION | HOME ENHANCEMENTS
Lighting Control IR Distribution Systems
Lutron Control4 Crestron Savant Alarm.com SnapAV/ Control4 Xantech Crestron Savant
Binary
BULLET
BRAND
77% 61% 31% 17% 15% 41% 35% 25% 18% 15%
Lutron remains the powerhouse leader in the category followed by The IR Distribution System category may be contracting slightly, as a
Control4. Other popular lighting companies Crestron and Savant are look at the brands shows numbers are now likely shaped by dealers
well represented, and Alarm.com’s overall increased presence in the streamlining their buying processes. Falling from the top five possibly
control categories helped it to bump out Vantage in this one. as a result of this trend is URC, with Savant taking its place.
Universal Remote/Tablets
Control4 Apple iPad URC Savant Crestron
Voice Control
Amazon Google Apple Savant Josh.ai
BULLET
BRAND
61% 60% 48% 35% 34%
The Universal Remote/Tablet category might be starting to see the
88% 29% 25% 17% 16%
impact of voice control in the market, though as complete system pro- Voice control is becoming more commonplace as an interface option,
viders Control4, URC, Savant and Crestron are likely more immune than with Amazon’s Alexa clearly the preferred platform. Google’s Assistant
Apple’s iOS devices when it comes to usage as a system’s sole home and Apple’s Siri are also popular mainstream options. Joining Savant
control interface. as a channel-specific solution is Josh, which rocketed into the top five
surpassing voice options from big companies such as Comcast.
Motorized Window Treatments
Lutron Qmotion Crestron Somfy Hunter
Douglas Lighting Fixtures
Ketra DMF American Lucifer Lutron WAC
Lighting Lighting Lighting
76% 39% 26% 24% 12%
The Motorized Window Treatment category mirrors the Lighting Control
category in that after several years of growth it may be settling into set 7% 4% 3% 3% 3% 3%
market levels. Lutron did increase its share of CE Pro 100 dealers, and
Hunter Douglas is seeing numbers rise as well. Qmotion, Crestron and Lighting Fixtures is one of the new categories this year for the Brand
Somfy remain consistent from previous years’ totals. Analysis. Newly acquired by Lutron, Ketra leads this category followed
by DMF Lighting, American Lighting, Lucifer, Lutron and WAC Lighting.
HVAC Energy
Smart Grid Management Water Leak Detection
Control4 Nest Lutron Savant Crestron Waterbug Watercop Control4 Dam-It
53% 47% 33% 32% 31% 3% 3% 2% 2%
HVAC Energy Smart Grid Management is one of the most competitive Here’s another new category added this year. No real leader has
categories, though its sheer numbers have slowed after a brief period emerged, and from both the bigger picture retail perspective and
of major gains. The one company that continues to surge through this channel-oriented perspective, Water Leak Detection is an up-and-
period of stagnation is Nest, which in a few years is single digits from coming category that has seen new entrants to the smart home
becoming the top brand in the category. market and shows like CEDIA Expo.
9 CE Pro: CE Pro 2019 Brand Analysis www.cepro.comCE PRO 2019 BRAND ANALYSIS SPECIAL REPORT:
RESEARCH
HOME ENHANCEMENTS
Racks Furniture
Middle SnapAV/ Sanus OmniMount Salamander Salam- Cinema- BDi Sanus Fortress Acoustic Cineak
Atlantic Strong ander Tech Inno-
vations
BULLET
BRAND
79% 67% 9% 24% 22% 22% 18% 8% 8%
20% 16% 56%
SnapAV’s Strong brand may be picking up dealers at the expense of After taking over the Furniture category in 2018 Salamander proves in
Middle Atlantic and Sanus. After shooting up into the top five in 2018, 2019 that it is not a one-year wonder. The rest of the category includes
Salamander affirms its position by ranking in the top five once again. other familiar names to look relatively similar to the past few years.
Rack Cooling Systems Seating
Middle Active SnapAV/ Cool Omni- Sanus Cinema- Sala- Fortress Acoustic Cineak United
Atlantic Thermal Strong Compo- Mount Tech mander Inno- Leather
Manage- nents vations
ment
8% 8% 10%
52% 39% 43% 31% 27% 25% 24% 14% 14%
There has been some movement within the Rack Cooling System Seating is the most unstable category in the entire Brand Analysis.
category with SnapAV’s Strong brand and Cool Components making After contracting from a larger pool of brands, the category settled to
gains. For the most part perennial leaders Middle Atlantic and Active its current levels, but preferences year-to-year still fluctuate more than
Thermal Management (ATM) maintained their respective dealer totals. any other among CE Pro 100 companies.
OmniMount is new to the top five.
Remote Monitored Services Mounts
SnapAV/ Control4/ SnapAV/ Chief Sanus Future Peerless-AV
Alarm.com BlueBolt Access Automation
Araknis/ Pakedge/ Networks Strong
OvrC Ihiji
BULLET BULLET
BRAND BRAND
91% 63% 23% 71% 68% 51% 39% 22%
19% 17%
Making huge headway to respectively separate themselves from what The Mounts category enjoyed a bit of a bump. Mounts has turned into
is becoming a really competitive field are SnapAV’s Araknis and OvrC an arm’s race between SnapAV’s Strong brand and Chief. Chief had
brands, and Control4 through its acquisitions of Pakedge and Ihiji. Ac- emerged over several solid competitors as the category leader for the
cess Networks overtakes Crestron to enter the top five. past couple of years, but this year SnapAV’s Strong brand grabs the top
position, and Sanus is not too far behind.
Power Conditioners
SnapAV/
Lifts
Panamax/ SurgeX Furman APC
Wattbox BlueBolt Future Nexus21 Chief Auton Inca Media-
Automation Director
BULLET
BRAND
73% 34% 30% 24% 23% 9%
9%
58% 37% 20% 16%
Through the power of its OvrC remote monitoring platform SnapAV
continues to grow its Wattbox brand of power products. Another After experiencing a few years of growth, the Lifts category has leveled
company moving up in the category is SurgeX, which grew by approxi- off. Nexus21 appeared to be in good position to pace the category, but
mately 50 percent from its 2018 totals. Furman and APC kept similar after being named a “Bullet Brand” in 2018 it had 13 fewer dealer men-
dealer totals from past years. tions and fell behind Future Automation.
10 CE Pro: CE Pro 2019 Brand Analysis www.cepro.comCE PRO 2019 BRAND ANALYSIS SPECIAL REPORT:
RESEARCH
HOME ENHANCEMENTS | SECURITY | DEALER SUPPORT
Central Vacuum Access Control
H-P Beam Hide-A-Hose NuTone Honeywell Control4 Crestron Yale Savant Kwikset
Products/
Dirt Devil/
Vacuflo
BULLET
BRAND
12% 8% 7%
18% 5% 54% 33% 32% 30% 24%
For the past several years the central vac category has shown modest, The Access Control category continues to trend positively. Control4
but steady gains. With an overall jump of about 15 percent in total remains as the top brand, showing a small amount of growth. The rest
dealer numbers over the previous year, more CE Pro 100 companies of the category has become increasingly competitive. Holovision just
are profiting in this high-margin category from vendors such as H-P missed the top grouping, along with several other manufacturers.
Products and Beam.
Security & Fire Systems Smart Door Locks/Dead Bolt
Honeywell Interlogix DSC 2GIG Qolsys
Home/ Yale Kwikset Schlage August Baldwin Crestron
Resideo
10%
34% 25% 20% 18% 8%
67% 61% 36% 2% 2%
After years of relative stability there is some movement within the
Security & Fire System category. Honeywell Home/Resideo more than Yale has seized control of the category, which like many other security
doubles its leadership position ahead of Interlogix. The remaining categories, is experiencing prosperity. While Yale, Kwikset and Schlage
brands all saw fewer CE Pro 100 representation, and Qolsys moved past added dealers, August’s CE Pro 100 numbers take a small step back.
Leviton to make its top five debut.
IP Security Cameras General Distribution
SnapAV Wave/AVAD ADI TechData Ingram-
SnapAV/ IC Alarm.com Axis Hikvision Lilin Micro
Wirepath/ Realtime
Luma/
Visualint
90% 69% 63% 44% 39%
64% 34% 24% 24% 22% 13%
SnapAV and its various brands address a number of price and feature Through its growing list of manufacturer partners that includes Nest, Lu-
set points within the IP Security Cameras category. IC Realtime remains tron, URC, BenQ and Pioneer, plus its own brands, SnapAV is turning into
a popular manufacturer within the category. As it showed in several a one-stop shopping solution for integrators. Following behind SnapAV
security and automation categories, Alarm.com gained traction among are the traditional distributors ADI and WAVE/AVAD.
CE Pro 100 companies.
Video Doorbells Design Proposal Software
D-Tools Microsoft AutoCAD iPoint QuickBooks
Ring Doorbird Skybell Control4 Savant Visio
62% 55% 20% 4% 36% 34% 33% 17% 16%
9%
Video Doorbells is a rapidly maturing category. Last year’s analysis saw D-Tools once again is the most used Design Proposal Software pro-
Doorbird soar into the top five on the heels of category leader Ring. vider. Over the past few years the competition between manufactur-
This year both Ring and Doorbird collected a few more CE Pro 100 ers in this category has increased and this year’s list reflects just how
mentions to pad their commanding market share. competitive the category has become.
11 CE Pro: CE Pro 2019 Brand Analysis www.cepro.comCE PRO 2019 BRAND ANALYSIS SPECIAL REPORT:
RESEARCH
DEALER SUPPORT
Business Management Software Tools & Testers
QuickBooks D-Tools Microsoft Google iPoint Fluke Platinum Klein Labor DeWalt
Excel Drive Tools Tools Saving
Devices
» BULLET BULLET
BRAND « BRAND
59% 32% 28% 22% 19% 37% 36% 36% 28% 25%
The use of business management software is increasing. Products Tools & Testers is an unpredictable and highly competitive category.
such as QuickBooks, D-Tools and Microsoft Excel remain popular Platinum Tools and Klein Tools have experienced plateauing, while
options for integrators. More dealers are employing Google’s array Fluke edges past both in this year’s tally.
of online business products to support their back-office operations.
Shooting into the top five is iPoint, which made gains in the Design
Proposal Software category too. Vehicles
Buying Groups Ford Nissan Dodge Chevrolet GMC Mercedes
ProSource HTSA Azione AIN
21% 13% 7% 4% 2% 2%
12% Just in its second year of being tracked, the order of manufacturers
32% 9% is similar to last year’s Vehicles list, but Ford’s margin has shrunk. CE
3%
Pro 100 dealers rely on a mix of typical contracting vans, and other
This is the second year CE Pro has tracked buying group participation, vehicles that include trucks and hybrid cars. One dealer indicated the
and for the second year in a row ProSource is the category leader use of ride-sharing services.
with approximately one-third of the CE Pro 100. HTSA, Azione and AIN
follow in the same order as the previous year with roughly the same
number of dealer members as last year.
Accounting Software
QuickBooks Sage ConnectWise
41% 4% 2%
Accounting Software is a new category for 2019. QuickBooks is the
overwhelming choice, while dealers noted various versions of Sage’s
software too.
12 CE Pro: CE Pro 2019 Brand Analysis www.cepro.comYou can also read
