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

You Can Save Over $350 a Year on Streaming Services If You Don’t Mind Commercials

Quite a lot, according to new data from Parks Associates. The average streaming household, which subscribes to 5.6 platforms, according to the research firm, could save $366 a year on average by sw...

Americans Are Spending Less on Streaming in 2023 As Cord Cutters Cut Back

Over 350 streaming services have been tracked in North America alone, according to data from research firm Parks Associates – a vastly different market from digital video’s origins in 2007. “The sh...

Smart Home Owners Grow Increasingly Concerned About Cybersecurity

According to Parks Associates, 54% of U.S. internet households report experiencing a data privacy or security issue over the last 12 months, an increase of 50% since 2018. The consumer technology r...

More Than Half of U.S. Households Dealt With a Data Privacy Problem, Study Says

A study from Parks Associates, a leading authority in consumer and market research, shows a concerning trend in security threats stemming from smart device use. The “Privacy and Data Protection for...