Providing market intelligence for more than 35 years

In The News

IRobot faces a murky future amid rising Roomba competitors

The company is still “number one,” said Elizabeth Parks, president of market research firm Parks Associates in Dallas. But it’s a shaky number one. Parks estimates that iRobot had nearly two-thirds of the robot vacuum market in 2018, but now holds only a 48 percent share. Meanwhile, rival robot makers like SharkNinja, Roborock, Eufy, and Ecovacs have been steadily chipping away.

One possible reason, according to Parks, is concern about data privacy. More advanced versions of the Roomba and other robots use visual sensors to generate detailed maps of the user’s home. This information is shared with the manufacturers to develop more advanced products, but it could also potentially be used to monitor users.

From the article, "IRobot faces a murky future amid rising Roomba competitors" by Hiawatha Bray

Previously In The News

Amazon Opens Prime Video To Monthly Memberships In A Challenge To Netflix

Surveys by consulting firm Parks Associates found that many people who signed up for Prime Video's free 30-day trial were not converting to subscribers. About 34% of people surveyed by Parks Associ...

DIY smart home security devices twice as attractive than professional services

People are twice more likely to buy individual smart locks, doorbells and security cameras than sign up for a professional home monitoring service. That's the findings of a new report from security re...

Euro SVOD Lags The US

New research from Parks Associates shows that in the UK, 55% of broadband homes watch OTT video. In France, the total is 51%. The levels of OTT usage lag that of the US, where 70% of broadband home...

SVODs Are Hot, But Subscribers Are Still Fickle

A new study from Dallas-based research firm Parks Associates has found that 20% of US broadband households (approximately 90 million homes) cancelled at least one OTT or SVOD subscription in 2015....