Providing market intelligence for more than 35 years

In The News

A new vacuum can alert you to incoming text messages. Why?

"The appliance category becoming connected does add a lot of opportunities to provide new information to a consumer," says Elizabeth Parks, the president and chief marketing officer at Parks Associates, which does market research on consumer tech and works with some manufacturers.

"How much energy is being used? Does that tie to any bills? Are there any alerts about the performance of the appliance? You know, especially that energy efficiency part can translate to dollars saved," she says.

"It creates a service model, right? You sell the large appliance, the refrigerator or the washer dryer, and then maybe you sell the maintenance that goes with it," Parks says.

Cost is one factor holding many people back from buying the premium AI appliances, as well as a perception that there isn't an added value in the smart features and security and privacy concerns, according to Parks Associates survey data.

From the article, "A new vacuum can alert you to incoming text messages. Why?" by James Doubek

Previously In The News

Hulu Mounts Push To Draw And Keep Subscribers: Executive

Luring and keeping customers is becoming harder as the online streaming market gets more crowded and subscribers, freed from cable television's contract model, can cancel service with a click of the m...

Next Health Wearable? Your Home

"If someone hasn't gotten out of bed, left the house for a while or has increased bathroom frequency, they're headed for a crash," according to Lainie Muller, director of wellness for Alarm.com, a mak...

Reality Check: Carriers Can Fight Churn With Wi-Fi

As new smartphone customers become harder to find in the U.S. mobile market, carriers are shifting their operational focus from growth in average revenue per user growth to churn management, according...

AT&T To Buy Time Warner In Media-Shaking $85.4B Deal

That streaming service is one way AT&T wants to ensure that younger consumers will still flow its way. A study by research firm Parks Associates found that nearly a quarter of millennial households ju...