The future of custom home integration isn't about selling homeowners more technology. Instead, it's about understanding how they live and using technology to create experiences for them and their families. That was a central theme of "What Every Integrator Needs to Know About the Next Five Years," a Thursday morning CEDIA Expo 2026 Smart Stage roundtable featuring Mellisa Andresko of Lutron, Michael Short of Crestron, Nick Berry of Origin Acoustics, Kathleen Thomas of Sony, Matt Kamp of ADI Global, and moderator Dan Ferrisi of Forge.

Deloitte predicts holiday retail sales this season will hit an estimated $1.7 trillion and $1.71 trillion between the season's November to January timeframe. The research firm expects e-commerce sales to grow between 7.5% and 8.4%, year over year, hitting $361.1 billion and $318.9 billion. Last year's spend was $294 billion, according to a press release.

KEF has debuted the all-new KEF Outdoor Collection, bringing the company's signature sound out into the open air. The collection is engineered for durability in the elements while delivering KEF's acoustic expertise. Each model features the company's Uni-Q technology, weatherproof construction, and a minimalist aesthetic designed to blend into any environment.

Much like the Steam Machine, Valve's Steam Frame VR headset feels like a device that should have shipped five years ago. As a standalone wireless headset, it's directly competing with Meta's Quest lineup, even though that company has seriously scaled back its VR ambitions.

In a time when consumer focus is less on devices and more on the content those devices deliver, how have major consumer electronics retailers and e-tailers fared? Find out by purchasing the latest editions of TWICE's annual Retail Reports, produced in partnership with Senex, an industry research and analysis firm.
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