For decades, the tastes and preferences of the largest generational cohort — the baby boomers — have been an important factor shaping key trends in the US small appliances market. This group, noted also for its affluence, is now joined by another even larger generational group: the millennials.

Like it or loathe it, it seems like everyone has one. No, not “an opinion,” a smartphone.

How many people in the US have a smartphone? About 60% of the total population in 2015. No small feat, considering the devices really only gained consumer market traction when Apple introduced the first-generation iPhone in June 2007.

What’s driving smartphone adoption? It certainly isn’t the ability to share meaningful voice conversations with friends and family — you don’t need a smartphone for that. The real value lays in the ever-expanding range of capabilities smartphones possess and the services they can access.

There are a number of trends causing shake-ups in the personal care appliance market, leading to some interesting questions.

• Why is a vacuum company making hair dryers?
• How do the increasingly active lifestyles of elderly Americans present an opportunity for appliance companies?
• And what on Earth is “peak beard”?

If you want the answers to all these questions (and more), read on.

Has the robot invasion begun? According to Tractica, a market intelligence firm that focuses on human interaction with technology, the consumer robotics revolution is “well and truly underway.”

Learn about the growing demand for domestic robots and what hurdles the market faces in the next few years.

Despite past failures and false starts, virtual reality is taking off. According to a report by Rider Research, virtual reality has become one of the hottest technology buzzwords for 2016. Consumer demand is rising fast as realistically priced virtual reality and augmented reality products hit the market.

But what exactly are augmented reality and virtual reality products? Who can use them? And which industries are going to most benefit from these new technologies? Read on to find out.

Jack W. Plunkett, CEO of Plunkett Research, Ltd, opens a recent video with the remark, “I can’t imagine any single sector that has been more disrupted or forced into more change than the media and entertainment industry over the past few decades.”

According to Mr. Plunkett, there’s more disruption to come. This vast, global industry will continue to evolve rapidly over the next decade as business models shift. Watch the video below and read this post to get valuable insights into this complex industry.

New and emerging technologies have the potential to disrupt and transform a variety of important industries. Mind Commerce, a trusted source for research and strategic analysis, has written a series of articles highlighting new, influential trends in digital technologies and telecommunications. Here, we’ve compiled eight Mind Commerce posts that received the most page views. Click to the posts that interest you to gain valuable new insights from an experienced market research firm.

In 2015, the market experienced a stampede of wearable devices. Consumers had access to some of the newest tech devices that were able to track movement, heartbeats, location, and more. However, many consumers found that these wearables came up short. Costs were high, and expectations for accuracy were not always met. Wearable devices held a 30 percent return rate and high product abandonment after six months.

This doesn’t mean consumers should give up hope. Although our main introduction to wearables has consisted of watches and wristbands, the future is looking even bigger, and is more focused on smart textiles and clothing.

Mind Commerce sees Sports and Fitness, Healthcare, and Clothing as key markets for the early success of wearable technology. Among these three segments, Sports and Fitness is the most promising segment for wearable consumption. The segment comprises various products out of which wrist bands, wrist watches, and headgears will dominate the segment. In addition, most products in this segment will be associated with measurement and monitoring fitness and performance and will be used by both amateurs and professionals.

The development of sensor technology has launched many different technology devices in the past decade. From FitBits to iWatches, the technology we see in these small devices is, simply put, incredible. As the technology becomes more accessible, we are seeing more and more industries getting involved with not just smart wearable devices, but smart apparel.