Recently, eight government departments, including the Ministry of Commerce, jointly released the Action Plan for Promoting Smart Home Consumption. This plan outlines seven strategic measures aimed at boosting smart home consumption. These include expanding the supply of high-quality products, refining standard systems, bolstering end-user consumption, developing age-friendly products, streamlining waste recycling processes, and enhancing community services.

The plan explicitly takes advantage of the 2026 consumer goods trade-in policy, empowering local authorities to independently set subsidy categories and standards for smart home products. It also coordinates subsidies for the purchase of whole-house smart home systems. Financial institutions are encouraged to ramp up loan support for smart home consumption, encompassing installment plans tailored to specific scenarios, online consumer loans, and interest subsidy models.

Licensed consumer finance companies, such as Haier Consumer Finance, have introduced 'Smart Home Installments' programs. These cover a range of devices, including smart door locks and kitchen appliances, with cumulative interest-subsidized loans amounting to RMB 173 million. Ant Consumer Finance provides state-subsidized and merchant-interest-free discounts through Huabei installments. Meanwhile, Zhongyuan Consumer Finance has benefited 615,000 individuals by increasing credit limits and reducing interest rates.

Driven by these policy initiatives, the penetration rate of whole-house smart homes is projected to surge from below 25% in 2025 to 35% in 2026. The market size is expected to reach RMB 280 billion, as consumer finance companies continue to broaden their service scope.