Providing Market Intelligence for 40 Years

In The News

Business and COVID-19

According to research done by Parks Associates, technology was impressed into service at greater volumes than in previous years due to the stay-at-home orders in much of the country. They found one-third of smart device owners in U.S. households with broadband have increased usage of their devices during the COVID-19 pandemic, including 46% of smart door lock owners. As market adoption and usage increase, however, new challenges in the consumer experience are emerging, which could impact current and future growth. A growing percentage of smart home device owners now experience multiple problems with their devices each year, and 16% of US broadband households report home network problems have disrupted work-at-home activities during COVID-19.

Parks Associates’ surveys show nearly 29% of SMBs report their company is at risk of going out of business due to COVID-19. The public health crisis and months of shelter-in-place orders have had a dramatic impact, particularly on SMBs. Their report, New SMB Landscape: Devices, Communication, Security, Support, provides insights on technology adoption and needs among SMB owners and IT personnel and examines the changes taking place as a result of reduced budgets and a broad shift to working from home.

Parks Associates analyzed the data and found that most SMBs spend less than 20% of their overall budget on IT products and services, and one-third do not appear to have had a planned budget for IT products and services at all in 2020. At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies scrambled to get the equipment to allow their employees to work at home. Nearly one-fourth report their spending on internet and IT services and devices has increased since the outbreak, and the continued uncertainty of the operating environment is making it difficult for them to develop solid budgetary plans for 2021.

From the article "Business and COVID-19".

Previously In The News

Almost 50% Smart Home Devices In U.S. Are Self-Installed, Parks Associates Finds

Wireless home security sales are increasing, as almost one-half of home security owners in the U.S. have a home security system that connects wirelessly to sensors, according market research firm, Par...

Expanding Home Energy Management Programs

Parks Associates research reports 62% of U.S. broadband households strongly believe that saving energy and lowering utility bills are important, and 30% strongly believe that being “green” is importan...

The Apple TV is Falling Farther Behind as Their Competitors Prepare to Release New Devices

The current Apple TV, according to Parks Associates—a highly respected research firm—is in third place behind Roku and the Fire TV in both recent sales and number of homes with the device. The high...

What’s the Best Tech Solution for Medication Management?

One perspective that the Lux study did not highlight is that of caregivers. People responsible for patient care — both now and in the future — are heavily on board with the use of mHealth tools that f...