Providing market intelligence for more than 35 years

In The News

Top 5 markets disrupted by sharing economy apps

Sharing economy apps like Airbnb, Uber and HomeAdvisor have the ability to thrive and disrupt incumbent industries. We have identified the five top markets that could become the next frontier of digital disruption, including car sharing, vehicle repair and maintenance, self-storage, tech support and textbook selling/renting.

Car sharing

Uber has already become a major disruptor in one area of the auto industry by cutting out taxi service companies and connecting passengers directly with drivers. Car-sharing apps may become the next wave of auto industry disruptors. These apps are attractive to consumers who want a driving experience without the need for car ownership. The apps connect car owners who are willing to let others use their car when it is not in use — e.g., sitting idle in an airport parking lot or parked at home — and people in need of a car — e.g., business or leisure travelers who need flexible transportation options. Car-sharing apps can offer flexible rental terms and real-time pricing adjustments based on supply and demand.

From the article "Top 5 markets disrupted by sharing economy apps" by Harry Wang.

Previously In The News

10 Reasons Smart Home Devices Will Be Everywhere in 2018

Smart home gift-giving is on the rise, expanding the universe of potential users that don’t necessarily know what they’ve gotten themselves into. Parks Associates estimates some 20% of smart-device ow...

4 Tech Markets that Have Something to Prove at CES 2018

According to Parks Associates research released last summer, more than 100 million U.S. homes did not have a smart device in them at the end of 2016. That’s out of a possible 117 million households. B...

Large Majority of Broadband Households Use WiFi as Primary Connection, Study Says

More than 60% of broadband households in the United States with a networking router received that device from their broadband service provider, according to a new Parks Associates whitepaper. Spons...

Parks Associates looks at smart home market, company tactics

Parks Associates, a research firm based here, released a report that outlines how the smart home market and its products are changing and what companies are doing about overcoming barriers, entitled “...