Providing Market Intelligence for 40 Years

In The News

Wearables Find Market With 55+ Users, Big Gains Predicted For Next Year

Parks Associates in May estimated that over 10% of the 65+ population will own a PERS -- for Personal Emergency Response System -- device by 2021, and that figure will jump to 15% for seniors 75 and over. By that year, more than 56 million Americans will be 65 and over.

That’s good growth, but still leaves a lot of elderly people who won’t be using wearables. Jennifer Kent, director of research quality and product development at Parks, earlier told Marketing Daily that the “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” messaging made famous by Life Alert all the way back in 1987, has created a hard-to-shake stigma. As a result, many older people have a strong resistance to even the more subtle smartwatch versions. 

From the article "Wearables Find Market With 55+ Users, Big Gains Predicted For Next Year" by P.J. Bednarski.

Previously In The News

Parks Associates To Host Annual Connections Conference May 24-26 In San Francisco

The executive event, addressing the converging IoT industries—including smart home, connected entertainment and mobile ecosystems—will feature panel discussions and keynotes by: — Matt Eyring, chie...

Smart Home Gadgets Need To Live Together

Smart home technology that has long been knocking at doors will settle into the mainstream after rival gadgets and services become hassle-free guests that get along with one another, industry insiders...

PayPal Leads The Way In US Mobile Payments, But Retailers Not Happy

Mobile payments are still an up-and-coming new capability for consumers; while mobile banking has clearly led the way, there’s still a lot of interest in mobile payments at least in some fields. Wh...

BMW’s Vision For A World Of Connected Cars

“We’re moving past the early adopter phase of connected cars,” says Jennifer Kent, a director at Parks. “Most of the usage is still core to the driving experience: Mapping and navigation, maintenance...