Sears has big plans for the connected home

CES 2015 in Las Vegas has been awash with connected-home products, ranging in size from wearables and other diminutive doodads to major appliances such as ranges and refrigerators. But while you might expect Sears to make a major splash, given its more than 150 years of history, company representatives we spoke to say Sears is instead taking its time—in the hopes of being the go-to store for these products.

The retailer's first efforts focused on three Chicago-area Sears stores, each of which devoted 2,000 square feet of space under the Connected Solutions banner. Now the company has begun to roll out this model to what it hopes, by about mid-year, to 200 additional stores nationwide. At about the same time of year, Sears expects to retrofit its San Bruno, California, store to devote 3,900 square feet to a Connected Solutions department organized like rooms of a home.

Sections of these stores devoted to connected-home products will be staffed primarily by existing electronics-department salespeople—no new hiring is likely—and the selection is expected to number about 100 products from a variety of makers, including Nest, Belkin, and many others. Want to check out what's there before you visit the store? You'll find those and more at the retailer's Connected Solutions hub, but don't expect deep technical guidance on what works with what from the online chat-room staffers. They'll likely refer you to the company's brick-and-mortar store, or manufacturers' websites.

It's too soon to tell whether Sears' efforts will succeed, given the relative urgency with which other big retailers have rushed to form partnerships and pack their shelves with smart products. The retailer might have an uphill climb against the likes of Home Depot, Lowe's, Staples, and Walmart, but it has one thing the others lack: a longtime foothold in appliances, home maintenance, consumer electronics, fitness, and auto-aftermarket. If Sears can shepherd its sales staff to truly engage with customers who haven't a clue what they need—but have a sense such products might be helpful—the company has a shot at the brass ring.

Consumer Reports increasingly tests connected features in the products in our labs. For a recap of our tests read our report "Run your Home from your Phone," which brings together several categories of connected-home products.

—Ed Perratore (@EdPerratore on Twitter)

Click on the image above to find all of Consumer Reports' coverage from CES 2015.