Providing Market Intelligence for 40 Years

In The News

Smart Home of the Future Is Here; Why Aren't People Buying In?

What will convince consumers that a connected home is worth the cost and effort? Device makers hope to sell the idea that a connected home is not just safer, but also saves money and is ultra-convenient.

Smart home devices must automate daily mundane tasks so the homeowner doesn't have to worry about them, said Stuart Sikes, president of the research firm Parks Associates.

"We're moving to a place where we have proactive home managers, devices that turn off the water and notify you after the fact that you've had a leak, the water's been shut off, can I do anything else for you?" said Stuart Sikes, president of the research firm Parks Associates. "That is a true smart home."

Take Google's Nest Learning Thermostat, for example, which costs $249. Manufacturers claim the gadget saves an average of $131 to $145 a year in heating and cooling bills. But a smart system could add to those savings by telling the blinds on the home's western windows to automatically close at 5 p.m. to block the sun.

From the article "Smart Home of the Future Is Here; Why Aren't People Buying In?" by Benny Evangelista.

Previously In The News

The Smart Money: The Evolution of Residential Access Control

According to Parks Associates’ research, ownership of smart door locks reached approximately 11% of U.S. internet households in Q2 2025, and smart garage door openers have reached the same adoption le...

Sports fans face increasingly steep fees and piecemeal access to watch their favorite teams. The government wants to step in

Some 43 percent of U.S. households with Internet access watch sports, and 70 percent use a streaming platform, according to a 2025 by market research firm Parks Associates. From the article, "Sport...

Netflix Price Increase 2026: New Rates for Every Subscription Tier

Seven in ten viewers say the same ads repeat too often, making repetition the top complaint with ad-supported streaming, Parks Associates found (February 10, 2026).  Low-cost ad-supported plans...

Paid streaming for cheapskates is having a moment

“This is a lot of catalog content,” says Parks Associates entertainment research director Michael Goodman, using industry shorthand for titles making up Hollywood’s back catalogs. “There is not...