Providing market intelligence for more than 35 years

In The News

Smart thermostats are tough sell, but ComEd hopes rebates boost interest

A study released this month by Parks Associates found only 18 percent of consumers would buy a smart thermostat at $250, but offering a $100 rebate more than doubled the pool of interested buyers.

"The market for smart thermostats is still in the early adopter phase," said Tom Kerber, director of internet of things strategy for Parks Associates, a Texas-based consumer technology research and consulting company. "To move beyond early adopters, they have to offer products at a lower price point."

Kerber said prices for the first-generation smart thermostats started at about $400 but have dropped to about $250 for Nest and other leading products. He said breaking through the $150 price point opens it up to a broader market.

From the article "Smart thermostats are tough sell, but ComEd hopes rebates boost interest" by Robert Channick.

Previously In The News

How to Decide If Cord Cutting Is Right for You

This lack of local channels is one reason that more households are using antennas, pulling in free over-the-air high-definition signals. In fact, Parks Associates, a research firm, estimates that one-...

PayPal’s Popular But Apple Is The Class Favorite

PayPal is the number one mobile payment app in the U.S., according to research by Parks Associates and by quite a margin. NFC World reported that 12 percent of those polled prefer PayPal while retail-...

OTT Annual Churn Rate Dips Slightly

This suggests that the all-important churn rate for services such as Netflix, Amazon Video and Hulu isn’t fluctuating — with 8 out of every 10 U.S. broadband household that has such a service sticking...

What’s Old Is New Again

While sales of vinyl records have been rising for a while now (Consumers like the sound quality and like the feel of vinyl records.), 2016 was a banner year. Sales hit a 28-year high -- led by David B...