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

Finance and phones – what can retail banking learn from the phone business?

KEY STAT: Net Promotor Score (NPS) increases in direct proportion to the number of subscriptions per user. High NPS means higher product satisfaction means greater service adoption. - Parks Associates...

Amazon, Best Buy, Google may soon sell home smart devices with ‘hacker-safe’ label

A 2023 study by research firm Parks Associates found that nearly 75% of U.S. households with internet service were concerned about the security of their personal data, while 54% reported experiencing...

Parks: Subscription Streaming Services Turn to Bundling to Drive Acquisition, Retention

New Parks Associates consumer data finds entertainment services lead the subscription economy for U.S. internet households, including 89% subscribing to a streaming video service, 32% subscribing to a...

FAST30 2024: The Movers and Shakers in the Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV Arena

During the April NAB Show 2024, Parks Associates said its research found that half of U.S. video-viewing households now watch FAST channels on a regular basis. From the Media Play News article, "FA...