• by Chuck Martin , Staff Writer, November 27, 2016

Any consumers who haven’t heard about smart homes and smart devices are getting a crash education through marketing to holiday shoppers.

In the latest example, the entire front cover of the Bed Bath & Beyond mailer features smart home gifts, with photos of Philips smart light bulbs and starter kit, a Nest thermostat and Nest smoke detector.

Not to be outdone by the irony of promoting the latest Internet-connected gadgetry in a paper-based medium delivered by mail, Bed Bath & Beyond has created an entire location at its website devoted exclusively to smart home objects.

While the paper-based mailer features just over a dozen distinct products, its smartphone website features 56 unique smart devices.

Best Buy is also aggressively pushing smart objects.

In addition to having multiple in-store displays of various smart home devices, Best Buy lists 113 separate smart home devices for sale at its website, with categories of smartwatches and wearable tech along with the entire category of smart home.

One of the reasons for the heavy dose of holiday marketing for smart home devices is the scope of the money involved.

Inside facing pages in the Bed Bath & Beyond mailer feature a smart scale from Fitbit for $130, a Nest learning thermostat for $250, a Philips Hue lighting starter kit for $200 and Amazon Echo for $180. Outside of the lower end Amazon Echo Dot, the least expensive smart device promoted in the mailer is $100.

And if shoppers aren’t enticed to purchase Internet-connected smart things for inside their home, there’s always outside-the-home action. The back cover of the Bed Bath & Beyond mailer is devoted exclusively to drones ranging in price from $30 to $150.