Providing market intelligence for more than 35 years

In The News

US startups aim to help seniors 'age in place'

Monitoring devices for the elderly started with products like privately-held Life Alert, which leapt into public awareness nearly 30 years ago with TV ads showing the elderly “Mrs. Fletcher” reaching for her Life Alert pendant and telling an operator, "I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!"

Now companies like Nortek Security & Control and small startups are taking that much further.

The challenge though is that older consumers may not be ready to use the technology and their medical, security and wellness needs may differ significantly. There are also safety and privacy risks.

“There’s a lot of potential, but a big gap between what seniors want and what the market can provide,” said Harry Wang, director of health and mobile product research at Parks Associates.

From the article "US startups aim to help seniors 'age in place'" by Reuters. 

Previously In The News

Mobile Payments And IoT Trends For Smartwatches

Internet of things, monitoring for insurance and mobile wallet expansion are three of the key emerging smartwatch app trends found in research by Parks Associates. Leading Smart Watch Apps: Insights i...

Prediction: Wi-Fi-Cell Hybrid Service Is Coming

As always, timing is everything. Research published in July by Parks Associates suggests U.S. mobile carriers are shifting their focus from ARPU growth to churn management as new smartphone users beco...

CONNECTIONS™ Conference

OCF is an Official Supporter of the 20th-annual CONNECTIONS™: The Premier Connected Home Conference, hosted by international research firm Parks Associates, May 24-26, San Francisco. The average U....

Is Voice Technology Behind The Success Of Those Smarthome Gadgets

"Over 70% of voice-recognition users are satisfied with the experience of using this solution on their smartphones, which is driving experimentation with this functionality on other platforms, includi...