A Market with Significant Untapped Potential
Novema UK, September 2026
Smart technology in UK bathrooms is still at an early stage, lagging well behind adoption in other parts of the home. BMA consumer research indicates that around 8% of homeowners believe they have purchased a smart bathroom product, although there is some confusion about what constitutes genuinely “smart” technology. Consumers can, for example, conflate electronically operated products with connected products that can communicate with other devices, be controlled remotely or use data to automate functions.
Using a stricter definition – products that combine bathroom functionality with connectivity, automation, sensors or intelligent controls – penetration is currently estimated at only 3–5% of UK households, equivalent to approximately 850,000–1.4 million homes.
Yet the potential market is considerably larger. Around one in five homeowners (19%) say they would like smart technology in their bathroom, highlighting a significant gap between consumer interest and current adoption.
SMART SHOWERS LEAD THE OPPORTUNITY
Smart showers are currently one of the strongest opportunities. These typically use digital or electronic controls, sensors and, increasingly, connectivity to deliver a more precise and personalised showering experience. Functions can include accurate temperature and flow control, pre-set shower programmes, timed operation and integration with smartphones or other connected-home systems.
The proposition extends beyond convenience. By monitoring water consumption, shower duration and temperature, smart showers can potentially help households reduce water and energy use, giving the technology a more tangible benefit than connectivity alone. Personalisation is another important selling point, allowing different household members to save their preferred settings.
SMART TOILETS: FROM ELECTRONIC TO GENUINELY CONNECTED
Smart toilet technology is developing along a similar path, but the market is more difficult to define. Products can combine conventional sanitaryware with electronic controls, sensors, automated hygiene functions and sophisticated water and energy management. However, consumers often regard relatively simple electronic features as “smart”.
The UK market can broadly be viewed as having three levels:
- Basic electronic functionality – heated seats, electronic controls, automatic flushing and bidet functions.
- Advanced automation and personalisation – programmable settings, sensor-based operation and individual user preferences.
- Connected smart technology – app connectivity, diagnostics, voice control, usage data and, at the premium end, health-monitoring capabilities.
This distinction is important because the market for “smart toilets” can otherwise appear considerably larger than the market for genuinely connected bathroom technology.
WHY SHOWERS CURRENTLY HAVE THE EDGE
Demand for smart showers appears to exceed that for smart toilets, reflecting several advantages: easier retrofit, greater compatibility with existing plumbing, integration with wider home technology and clearer benefits around convenience, water use and energy efficiency.
The continuing expansion of product availability is also helping to build the category. As more manufacturers introduce connected and digitally controlled showering products, consumers are becoming increasingly familiar with the proposition.
RENOVATION PROVIDES THE ROUTE TO GROWTH
The UK bathroom market remains driven primarily by replacement and renovation rather than new-build housing. This makes the renovation market particularly important for smart technology, because consumers are already considering upgrading their bathroom and can be encouraged to trade up to higher-value products.
Bathroom Association consumer research suggests that the number of renovations involving smart technology increased from approximately 45,000 to 80,000 in 2024 to 55,000 to 100,000 in 2025. Although still a relatively small proportion of the overall bathroom market, this represents a sizeable and growing opportunity for manufacturers, retailers and installers.
The opportunity extends beyond showers and toilets. There is potential to upsell a wider connected bathroom ecosystem, including voice-controlled taps and showers, smart mirrors, automated lighting, intelligent ventilation and app-controlled underfloor heating.
However, consumers rarely buy smart technology simply because it is “smart”. The strongest propositions are those that deliver an obvious benefit – greater convenience, comfort, personalisation, hygiene or water and energy savings.
COST AND COMPLEXITY REMAIN BARRIERS
The principal barriers are the higher cost of smart products, perceptions that they are luxury rather than essential purchases, and uncertainty about whether consumers will use the additional functionality.
Other concerns include installation complexity, reliability, connectivity problems, data and privacy issues, after-sales support and the risk that technology could become obsolete. For bathroom products, which are expected to last for many years, consumers may be reluctant to invest heavily in technology that could become outdated long before the physical product needs replacing.
INSTALLERS CAN UNLOCK ADOPTION
The bathroom trade has an important role to play in overcoming these barriers. Most homeowners undertaking a bathroom renovation consult professional installers, making installer recommendation a powerful influence on purchasing decisions.
Although published research specifically examining UK plumbers’ and bathroom installers’ attitudes towards smart bathroom technology remains limited, the broader evidence suggests that the trade is generally positive about the category. Smart products can increase project value, create opportunities for upselling and help installers differentiate their services.
Nevertheless, installers remain cautious where products introduce greater installation complexity or uncertainty around reliability, warranty responsibilities and after-sales support.
Overall, smart bathrooms remain a relatively immature but potentially high-growth segment. The opportunity is less about selling technology for its own sake and more about demonstrating clear, practical benefits. As products become easier to install, more affordable and better integrated with the wider connected home, the bathroom is likely to become an increasingly important part of the UK’s smart-home ecosystem.
CONCLUSION
Smart bathroom technology remains a relatively small but fast-developing segment of the UK bathroom market, with low current penetration but significant latent consumer demand. The strongest opportunities are likely to come from products that combine smart functionality with clear, everyday benefits – particularly convenience, personalisation, hygiene, and water and energy savings.
Smart showers currently appear best positioned to lead adoption, supported by easier retrofitting, growing product availability and tangible consumer benefits. Smart toilets and other connected bathroom products offer further opportunities as awareness increases and technology becomes more affordable and easier to install.
Ultimately, the key to unlocking the market will be making smart technology simple, reliable and demonstrably useful. Manufacturers, retailers and installers that can communicate these benefits effectively – and overcome concerns around cost, complexity and obsolescence – have significant scope to turn smart bathrooms from a niche upgrade into a mainstream part of bathroom renovation.
