The global market for Smart Lighting & Control Systems is expected to decline by -11.9% in the year 2020 and thereafter recover and grow to reach US$93.2 billion by the year 2027, trailing a post COVID-19 CAGR of 14.7% over the analysis period 2020 through 2027. COVID-19 has pushed the global economy into the steepest recession ever with GDP growth nosediving by -4.9%, shaving off over US$7 trillion in value. Although the pandemic has highlighted the importance of smart technologies in building resilience against disruptions, financial constraints are impeding immediate technology investments. As new construction projects take a hit, novel installations of lighting is dwindling. In industrial and commercial settings, there is likely to be a decrease in retrofit installations, given that there are no tax advantages for such installations. New as well as retrofit installations have declined due to the impact of the pandemic situation. Due to the pandemic, several key sporting events globally such as the 2020 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, and the 2020 FIBA International Cup, among others were cancelled or postponed, affecting smart lighting demand. Further, smart lighting hardware was affected by reduced manufacturing, on account of shutdowns especially in China and in South Asian countries that are the key centers for component production. While the healthcare industry is likely to deliver a decent performance, lack of tax rebates for retrofit installations is expected to reduce investment in retrofit installations in industry and commercial verticals.

The hardware segment of the market is considerably affected by lockdowns and shutdown of various units in China and various South Asian nations, leading to losses in terms of production. Lockdowns along with decisions to seal borders by various countries inhibited local manufacturers with limited inventory. Falling consumer demand on the back of rising unemployment rates & erosion in household wealth coupled with second wave of re-infections are keeping business confidence low and capital spending muted. As companies brace for impact and switch to survival mode, spending on smart lighting & control systems will slump in the year 2020. In the post COVID-19 period, growth recovery will be led by improving demand for specialty lighting solutions such as UV disinfection lighting, horticulture lighting, growing need for sterile production areas in the pharmaceutical sector, and the requirement for more healthcare facilities for accommodating the rising patient numbers. Smart lighting solutions will also be part of recovery plans of European countries. The EC considers that buildings that quickly adopt smart technologies such as connected lighting will be able to reap benefits of digitalization and also be able to better deal with the pandemic importantly, without compromising on the climate friendly goals. For all the member states of the EU therefore, smart lighting technologies adoption would be one of the important focus points in their recovery and resilience plans.

Financial support during the 2021-2027 time period and the support to be provided through the NextGenerationEU will be directed towards repairing social and economic impacts of the pandemic. The total budget set for this is more than €1.8 trillion. NextGenerationEU is the emergency recovery instrument created for helping nations better deal with the pandemic's after effects. The EC has been encouraging member states to come up with preliminary pandemic recovery plans based upon the sustainability concept and also the European Green Deal. The draft plans are to be submitted by April 2021. The commission is also taking into consideration the concern that the requirement of an unprecedented amount of money may lead to panic among states leading to drafting of plans which do not take into consideration climate goals. The EC is therefore urging countries to adopt smarter technologies that can help them in not compromising climate goals. Connected, Smart Street lighting for instance can future-proof cities by offering IoT infrastructure across the cities for more effectively providing public services. Connected street lighting systems would be able to remotely monitor and control luminaires through a centralized application. Furthermore, smart poles could also be used as service nodes for IT, for Wi-Fi and for housing 4G and 5G. Streetlights can also be integrated with cameras, sensors and microphones that can aid in crime detection and prevention of accidents. Emergency services would be automatically alerted. Smart street lighting can also decrease/ increase brightness based on footfall, which helps public feel safer. Smart lighting in work places could lead to increased productivity while at home, it could increase comfort levels for residents. Thus, by being able to change intensity and temperature of color, smart lighting can also stimulate energy levels, providing a sense of wellbeing to residents/ employees. Businesses can also make use of the sensors embedded in smart lighting to effectively monitor work environment in addition to optimizing conditions for wellbeing and health of employees. Organizations can monitor temperature, occupancy rates, daylight levels, noise levels, humidity levels etc., which help in creating a healthier work place and reducing absenteeism.