Providing market intelligence for more than 35 years

In The News

Parks: Smart Home Devices Driving Higher Demand for Tech Support, But Computer Problems are in Steady Decline

Consumer computer problems, as well as problems with entertainment devices are declining steadily year-over-year, dropping by more than 50% since 2014, according to a new report from Parks Associates. However, smart home devices are creating more problems in households, according to the report. Thirty-four percent of smart home device owners experienced problems with their devices in 2017, up from 28% in 2016.

Twenty to 25 percent of U.S. broadband households plan to buy a smart device within the next year, so tech support companies and service providers are starting to invest more support resources focusing on solutions for the broad array of these products, such as in-home consultation services.

From the article "Parks: Smart Home Devices Driving Higher Demand for Tech Support, But Computer Problems are in Steady Decline" by Phil Britt.

Previously In The News

DirecTV Now to hike prices as content fees rise across industry

Brett Sappington, director of research at Parks Associates, said price increases are a leading reason why viewers cancel subscriptions. “Customers don’t like surprises that hurt their pocketbook,”...

Save Time and Money with DIY Home Security

There's a burgeoning market for DIY home security products, thanks to advances in smart tech and more robust, easy-to-install offerings from home security manufacturers. According to market research f...

Amazon Fire TV tops 30 million active users, seeming to beat Roku

The market for video streaming devices is exploding. The number of households with a streaming player has quadrupled in the last five years, according to Parks Associates, and Roku and Amazon have bee...

What Hulu needs to beat Netflix

Loyalty is the name of the game for places like Netflix and Hulu going forward, Callahan says. “It’s much easier to keep a customer than acquire a new one,” he explains. High turnover has been one...