Role of consumer preferences in shaping demand for innovative and smart products

The study aimed to identify patterns in consumer preferences and their impact on demand for innovative and smart products on the Polish market, considering the demographic, behavioural, and motivational-value characteristics of consumers. The methodological basis of the study was the analysis of official statistical data, content analysis of digital platforms of smart product manufacturers, and the results of consumer surveys. The study covers 2019–2025 and aims to identify transformations in consumer preferences and factors shaping demand in the context of digitalisation. The study found that the formation of demand for innovative and smart products in Poland is decisively influenced by the transformation of consumer preferences caused by digitalisation, the growth of technological literacy, and the reorientation of values towards comfort, health, and sustainable development. In 2019–2024, there was a gradual increase in the role of consumer innovation, perception of novelty and technological orientation as key determinants of innovative decision-making, which caused an expansion in demand for smart household appliances, digital services and functional food products. Young, educated and financially secure consumers, who form the core of the market and set the pace for development, demonstrate the highest readiness to integrate innovations.