Parks Associates Research Indicates Consumer Preferences for Tech Support in Europe Divided Among Service Providers, Manufacturers, and Independent Companies

DALLAS, TX--(Marketwire - January 29, 2010) - Parks Associates' latest study "Customer Support in the Digital Home: Europe" finds European households vary significantly in their preferences for PC tech support, indicating the market for support providers could be much more diverse and competitive in Europe than in the U.S.

This new study from the international research firm reports mixed results from broadband households in the U.K., France, and Spain when naming a trusted company to provide PC tech support. Independent technical support companies scored highest with French and Spanish households, whereas broadband service providers scored highest in the U.K., but no single type of company scored more than 30%.

These findings indicate no dominant player has yet emerged in the European market for PC tech support, unlike the U.S., where well-established brands such as Geek Squad® are likely to drive higher percentages of consumers to large CE retailers for tech support needs.

"There are significant opportunities for companies from varied backgrounds to start building market momentum for their technical support services," said Kurt Scherf, Vice President, Principal Analyst, Parks Associates. "Backend providers could work with a variety of partners across Europe to deploy white-labeled technical support services."

Scherf added that broadband service providers in the U.K. and France in particular have established reputations for providing extensive technical support services, which they can expand into nontraditional support areas.

Parks Associates will present data and analysis from "Customer Support in the Digital Home: Europe" and other international studies at CONNECTIONS™ Europe: Monetizing Connectivity and User Experiences, April 27 in Amsterdam. For more information, visit http://www.connectionseurope.com, http://www.parksassociates.com/support, or contact 972-490-1113, sales@parksassociates.com.

About Parks Associates

Parks Associates is an internationally recognized market research and consulting company specializing in emerging consumer technology products and services. Founded in 1986, Parks Associates creates research capital for companies ranging from Fortune 500 to small start-ups through market reports, primary studies, consumer research, custom research, workshops, executive conferences, and annual service subscriptions.

Each year, Parks Associates hosts executive thought leadership conferences CONNECTIONS™, with support from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA®), and CONNECTIONS™ Europe. Parks Associates produces the online publication Industry Insights in conjunction with the CONNECTIONS™ Conference series.

http://www.parksassociates.com | http://www.connectionsconference.com | http://www.connectionseurope.com | http://www.connectionsindustryinsights.com

Contact Information: Contact: Mindi Sue Sternblitz-Rubenstein Parks Associates 972-490-1113 Email: mindi.sue@parksassociates.com