The consumer promotion department of the Commerce Ministry has issued an official explanation of the newly published Smart Home Consumption Action Plan.
Targeting the inconvenient supporting services in the home improvement sector, the plan directs local authorities to establish reasonable recycling networks for old household items and encourages companies to offer services such as “deliver new plus collect old” and “internet plus recycling”. It also supports the creation of integrated home renovation service stations in eligible neighborhoods and communities, bringing together various便民 services for residents.
Moving forward, the Commerce Ministry will work with relevant departments to implement these measures in detail, accelerate the tangible benefits of the policy, and facilitate the entry of more smart home products into households, thereby better fulfilling the people’s aspirations for a better life. Below is the full explanation text.
Background of the plan
Home consumption is substantial in scale, broad in scope, and extensive across the industrial chain, making it a vital component of resident spending and a key area where improving people's livelihoods aligns with stimulating consumption. In recent years, with rapid technological iteration and rising demand for higher-quality living, smart homes have seen swift growth, and market penetration continues to climb.
The 15th Five-Year Plan outline explicitly calls for enriching smart home scenarios, advancing the application of new intelligent products, setting interconnection standards for smart homes, and supporting the aging-friendly renovation and intelligent upgrade of older residences. To implement the decisions and plans of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, and to expand quality supply to meet the consumption needs of different groups, the Commerce Ministry, together with relevant departments, conducted special research, organized symposiums to gather broad opinions, carried out field surveys in multiple regions, and drafted the Action Plan, which was officially issued recently.
Core content of the plan
Guided by clear objectives and problem-solving, the plan addresses the growth areas and bottlenecks in smart home consumption by putting forward seven measures, including expanding the supply of quality smart home products, refining the standards system, and optimizing community-based convenient services. It highlights the following four key aspects:
First, aligning supply and demand. The plan encourages manufacturers to strengthen R&D in smart home products, supports home furnishing malls and shopping centers in establishing smart home experience centers, full-home intelligent and digital home model rooms, and guides financial institutions to increase loan support for smart home consumption, actively backing consumer purchases of related products.
Second, fostering a diverse and integrated ecosystem. To address the interconnection challenges in smart homes, the plan specifies improving the hierarchical evaluation standards for smart home product intelligence, accelerating the development and implementation of mandatory national standards for smart home interconnection, and speeding up the integrated development of whole-home intelligence.
Third, delivering precise services for different demographics. In response to the differentiated needs of consumers, the plan calls for accelerating the cultivation of large home improvement companies and platforms, offering personalized and diversified renovation packages, and vigorously developing customized, order-based, and appointment-based services. It also guides companies to implement aging-friendly designs and enrich the supply of smart home solutions tailored to the elderly.
Fourth, unblocking the chain of convenient services. Focusing on the inconvenience of supporting services in the home improvement sector, the plan directs local authorities to scientifically set up recycling points for old household items, encourages companies to provide “deliver new plus collect old” and “internet plus recycling” services, and supports the establishment of integrated home renovation service stations in eligible streets and communities, consolidating various convenient services for residents.
In the next steps, the Commerce Ministry will collaborate with relevant departments to carry out all measures thoroughly, accelerate the policy’s effective implementation, and bring more smart home products into households to better satisfy the people’s needs for a higher quality of life.