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

Study: US net subs favour fibre SPs

Parks Associates’ new consumer study, Home Internet Evolution: 5G Competition and Value-Added Services, finds that fibre and mobile services score the highest regarding consumer value perceptions...

Streaming Pirates Are Hollywood’s New Villains

Consulting firm Parks Associates predicts that legitimate US streaming services’ cumulative loss from piracy since 2022 will reach $113 billion in the next two years. “While there is some optimism tha...

Binge and bail: How 'serial churners' save money on Netflix, Hulu and Disney

Cutting household expenses is now the No. 1 reason consumers are canceling streaming subscriptions, said Eric Sorensen, senior analyst and director of streaming products at Parks Associates. It used t...

When it comes to live sports, consumers show streaming services the money

“Sports content drives eyeballs, advertisers know it, streaming services know it,” said Eric Sorensen, senior analyst with Parks Associates. From the article, "When it comes to live sports, consume...