Snug is committed to keeping affordable prices

We are all seeing the effects of inflation right now with many companies raising prices. Our commitment to you is that Snug will not be one of them. We will maintain our extra low prices.

Our main product which checks in on you to confirm you’re okay every day will remain free. Pricing for the Dispatch Plan where an emergency service dispatcher will coordinate an in-person visit if you miss a check-in, will also stay the same at $99/year.

Why? Because Snug was built on the belief that quality care and peace of mind for you and your loved ones should be easy and accessible. Right now our customers are dealing with economic uncertainty and rapidly rising prices for fundamental needs like food and shelter. And that’s in addition to all the typical daily challenges they may face. 

Our customers include seniors living independently, pet owners, military families, single moms, and many more. Many are on a fixed income that hasn’t yet adjusted for inflation. They don’t need the anxiety of a price increase on a beloved security product. 

If you’ve been considering upgrading to the dispatch plan but aren’t sure if you can afford it at this time, please reach out to support@snugsafety.com to discuss a discounted rate. Otherwise, please keep enjoying the free service. Our priority is ensuring you receive the care you need.

Have a Snug Day!

Team Snug

New Feature: Multiple Check-Ins!

When Jan first pitched the idea of Snug, one of the things that made her idea so powerful was it’s simplicity: Snug was designed to do just one one thing, and do it well. As the Snug community has grown we have made updates and improvements to make sure Snug works reliably, but we haven’t added any significant functionality… until now! 

One of the most commonly requested features has been the ability to schedule multiple checkins throughout the day, because even 24 hours can be a long time. Today we’re excited to announce the ability for Snug users to schedule multiple daily check-ins, providing additional peace of mind for people who want more than one touchpoint per day.

How does it work?

Snug users can now add up to three daily check in times. They’ll work exactly the same way as your current daily check in – Snug will remind you when it’s time to check in, and you just open up the app and push the green button. If you miss your check in, your emergency contacts will be notified via text message (free plan) or phone call (dispatch plan).

In order to make sure you have enough time between check ins, they need to be at least three hours apart – we suggest morning, noon, and evening. For more detail on how it works, see here.

How do I get started?

Adding multiple checkin times requires an annual payment of $17.99. This helps the Snug team keep the lights on and continue investing in making Snug better for users like you! 

Click here to complete your payment and add multiple check ins to your Snug account. Please enter the same cell phone number as you used to sign up for Snug.

Notes:

1 - If you already have the Dispatch plan, $9.99/mo or $99/year, multiple checkin times is already included.

2 - You will need to make sure your Snug app is also at least on 1.1.4 on Android and 2.3.2 for iOS

Age & Ability: What Warren, Charlie, and Dolly continue to teach us

LifeAlert and Lifeline presume that people aged 65+ "have fallen and can't get up". That those 65+ are inept, helpless, and unable – unsophisticated, out of touch, and antiquated.

That's just not true.

This weekend I sat in gleeful awe of two 90-year-olds, Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger. Two of the most successful investors in the world. They shared their wisdom with hundreds of thousands of people across the globe. Not only are they wise, but they have continued to perform at an elite level: Since Warren turned 70, Berkshire has outperformed the S&P 500 nearly 2:1. If you had invested $100 in 2001, today you would have $492 with Berkshire and 284 with the S&P.

And they aren't alone!

At 67, Oprah continues to be a media leader, drawing 17 Million viewers for her recent interview with Meghan and Harry. 

President Biden has been very busy and effective in his first 100 days. He and former President Trump are both over 70.

Dolly Parton had her best selling album, Blue Smoke, at the age of 68. This past year her foundation was a critical supporter of COVID research at Vanderbilt, which helped do trials for the Moderna vaccine. And she is still releasing albums now, at 75.

There's so many more examples I could give. Janet Yellen, Cathie Wood, John Roberts, our own Jan, and Anthony Fauci to name a few. Greater age does not mean inability.

At Snug, we are taking a different approach than Life Alert and Lifeline. We presume that people 65+ have agency, ability, and a lot of life left to live. This is why we design for the smartphone, facilitate choice, and are transparent about our designs and business model. Our customers are savvy.

It's time that companies and service providers give their customers the respect they deserve.

How Senior Technology Usage and Habits have continued to change during COVID

Snug has the privilege of a close relationship with our community and we recently surveyed them again in November about their tech habits, including how those habits continue to change with the shelter-in-place orders for COVID-19. We previously surveyed in April. Here are our findings.

Top Findings about how COVID-19 has changed habits:

• 48% of respondents have ordered groceries online, and 63% of them are doing it for first time because of quarantine

• 47% of respondents have used a telehealth service 

• 36% of respondents have attended a religious service online

• Zoom is the most popular video conferencing solution (70%), followed by Facetime (35%), and Facebook messenger (19%). However, while Skype (18%) is still more popular than Whatsapp (10%), its popularity has decreased since the last survey sent out in April.

• 59% of respondents using an exercise app are doing so because of the quarantine.

Changes between April survey and November

• There is a 10% increase respondents who have participated in video conferencing

• Zoom’s dominance in video conferencing has increased from 52% to 70%

• Of the respondents that have ordered groceries online, there is a 8% increase in those who have started due to the pandemic

• While there is a 30% increase in the use of telehealth services to connect remotely with a medical professional, there is only a 6% increase in respondents who have their prescription medication delivered. 

Change between April and November for those 60+ (vast majority of Snug’s community)

Other Top Findings from Tech Habits Survey:

• Of respondents with a smart speaker, 86% had an Alexa-enabled device.

• Of respondents with a video doorbell, 87% had a Ring doorbell.

• Facebook is more popular (82%) than the next 3, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter combined.

• TikTok (5%) and Reddit (5%) more popular than Snapchat (3%), though findings may not be statistically significant

• 55% of respondents have played a video game in the past week. 

• Silver Sneakers is the most mentioned exercise app. 

• The most sought gift is a Roomba!

Survey Methodology

• 1252 Snug customers responding to survey, not filtered or preferentially selected

• All customers have smartphone

• All responses were anonymous

• Statistically, findings valid to +/-3% as relevant to 60+ groups

If you are interested in accessing the raw data for your own analysis, please email support@snugsafety.com We would be happy to share with you! We only ask that you provide attribution in any published findings.

Full Findings in more detail

Are you using an iPhone or Android?

• iPhone - 65%

• Android - 34%
  

What is your age?

• 70-75 - 25%

• 65-70 - 21% 

• 75-80 - 17%

• 60-65 - 12% 

• 80-85 - 8%

• 50-60 - 7% 

• 85+ - 3% 

• 40-50 - 1%

• 30-40 - 1% 

86% of respondents are 60 or older.

What is your gender?

• Female - 76%

• Male - 22%

No Others selected, though some skipped this answer.

Do you have Pets?

• No Pets - 43% 

• Dog(s) - 35% 

• Cat(s) - 20% 

There are a few with birds and fish. Some respondents also have more than one type of pet. 

Select all the social media services you have used in the past week

• Facebook - 82%

• Instagram - 30%

• Pinterest - 28%

• Twitter - 21%

• Tiktok - 5%

• Reddit - 5%

• Snapchat - 3%

Relative ranking of Reddit, Tiktok, and Snapchat may not be statistically accurate due to margin of error.

Which smart devices do you own? Select all that apply

• Home Computer (including Laptop) - 87%

• Tablet Computer (including iPad) - 66%

• Smart TV (including Chromecast and FireTV) - 57%

• Smart Speaker (Alexa / Google Home) - 34%

• Video Doorbell - 16%

• Smart Security Cameras - 15%

• Apple Watch - 15%

• Smart Lock - 4%

While a smaller category in general, Tablets are clearly a successful and well-used product for Snug’s users.

What type of Video Doorbell do you have?

• Ring - 87%

• Nest - 3%

• Arlo - 2%

Ring clearly dominates here. 

What type of smart speaker do you have?

• Alexa - 86%

• Google Home - 15%

• Sonos - 4%

A few, less than 5, respondents reported having Bose.

How often are you videoconferencing?

• Not videoconferencing - 30%

• Almost Never - 28%

• Once per Week - 20%

• Every couple of days - 13%

• Every Day - 6%

Possible error in this question around the word ‘videoconferencing’ which alludes to a professional use of videochat. However, we did have a high % responding in next question.

Which apps and services have you used for videoconferencing? Select all that apply.

• Zoom.US - 70%

• Facetime - 35%

• Facebook Messenger - 19%

• Skype - 18% 

• Whatsapp - 10%

• Marco Polo - 2%

Some respondents also use Google / Google Duo.

Which video streaming services have you used recently? Select all that apply.

• Netflix - 57%

• Amazon Prime Video - 53%

• I have not used any - 26%

• Hulu - 21% 

• Disney+ - 12%

• HBO Now - 7%

Have you attended a religious service online during this time?

• No - 63%

• Yes - 36%

Answers may be skewed since we are not sure which respondents are actually religious.

Have you ordered groceries online?

• No - 51%

• Yes - 48%

Did you do your first order online because of the quarantine?

• Yes - 63%

• No - 36%

What services are you using to order groceries online? Select all that apply.

• Local Grocery Service - 53%

• Walmart - 36%

• Instacart - 29%

• Amazon Prime Now - 24% 

• Target - 10%

• Costco - 9%

Have you used a telehealth service or app to connect with a medical professional remotely?

• No - 52%

• Yes - 47%

Have you had prescription medication delivered?

• No - 63%

• Yes - 36%

How are you getting your news right now? Select all that apply.

• Local TV - 73%

• News Website - 51%

• Cable News - 51%

• Social Media - 34% 

• Printed Newspaper - 30%

• Email Newsletter - 26%

• Youtube - 9%

• Podcast - 6%

Are you using an exercise app or YouTube video to help you stay active?

• No - 82%

• Yes - 17%

Did you start using it because of the quarantine?

• Yes - 59%

• No - 40%

Have you played a game on your phone or tablet in the past week?

• Yes - 55%

• No - 44%

Most played game is Solitaire

How Tech Habits have changed during COVID - Tech Habits Survey May 2020

Snug has the privilege of a close relationship with our community and we recently surveyed them about their tech habits, including how those habits may have changed with the shelter-in-place orders for COVID-19. Here are our top findings of how habits have changed, other surprises, and the overall survey results.

Top Findings about how COVID-19 has changed habits:

• 48% of respondents have ordered groceries online, and 56% of them are doing it for first time because of quarantine

• 34.3% of respondents have attended a religious service online

• Zoom is the most popular video conferencing solution (52%), followed by Facetime (46%), and Facebook messenger (28.2%). Interestingly, Skype (20.4%) was nearly twice as popular as Whatsapp (10.9%). This may be due to the North American nature of the survey.

• 48% of respondents using an exercise app are doing so because of the quarantine.

Other Top Findings from Tech Habits Survey:

• 60% of Snug customers with an iPhone owned 4 or more smart devices.

• Of respondents with a smart speaker, 90.2% had an Alexa-enabled device.

• Of respondents with a video doorbell, 88% had a Ring doorbell.

• Facebook is more popular (86%) than the next 2, Instagram & Pinterest, combined.

• Reddit (9%) and TikTok (5.9%) more popular than Snapchat (5%), though findings may not be statistically significant

• 58.5% of respondents have played a video game in the past week. 

Survey Methodology

• 352 Snug customers responding to survey, not filtered or preferentially selected

• All customers have smartphone

• All responses were anonymous

• Statistically, findings valid to +/-6% as relevant to senior groups

Full Survey Findings:

Are you using an iPhone or Android?

• iPhone - 79%

• Android - 20%

What is your age?

• 70-80 - 41%

• 60-70 - 34%

• 50-60 - 7%

• 80-85 - 5%

• 40-50 - 4%

• 30-40 - 2%

• 85+ - 2%

40% of respondents are 65-75, grouped in decades above. Also had a few respondents under 30.

What is your gender?

• Female - 80%

• Male - 20%

Do you have Pets?

• Dogs - 40%

• No Pets - 34%

• Cats - 24%

A few respondents with Birds and Fish!

Select all the social media services you have used in the past week

• Facebook - 86%

• Instagram - 35%

• Pinterest - 29%

• Twitter - 24%

• Reddit - 9%

• Tiktok - 5.9%

• Snapchat - 5%

Relative ranking of Reddit, Tiktok, and Snapchat may not be statistically accurate due to margin of error.

Which smart devices do you own? Select all that apply

• Home Computer (including Laptop) - 88%

• Tablet Computer (including iPad) - 65%

• Smart TV (including Chromecast and FireTV) - 51%

• Smart Speaker (Alexa / Google Home) - 32%

• Apple Watch - 18%

• Video Doorbell - 15%

• Smart Security Cameras - 13%

• Smart Lock - 4%

While a smaller category in general, Tablets are clearly a successful and well-used product for Snug’s users.

Who says seniors aren’t using technology? 60%of iPhone users have four or more connected devices!

What type of Video Doorbell do you have?

• Ring - 88%

• Arlo - 3%

• Nest - 3%

Ring clearly dominates here. 

What type of smart speaker do you have?

• Alexa - 90%

• Google Home - 10%

• Sonos - 8%

A few, less than 5, respondents reported having the HomePod.

How often are you videoconferencing?

• Not videoconferencing - 40%

• Almost Never - 17%

• Every couple of days - 17%

• Once per Week - 16% 

• Every Day - 8%

Possible error in this question around the word ‘videoconferencing’ which alludes to a professional use of videochat. However, we did have a high % responding in next question.

Which apps and services have you used for videoconferencing? Select all that apply.

• Zoom.US - 52%

• Facetime - 46%

• Facebook Messenger - 28%

• Skype - 20% 

• Whatsapp - 10%

• Marco Polo - 4%

Which video streaming services have you used recently? Select all that apply.

• Netflix - 58%

• Amazon Prime Video - 53%

• I have not used any - 24%

• Hulu - 18% 

• HBO Now - 7%

• Disney+ - 5%

Have you attended a religious service online during this time?

• No - 66%

• Yes - 34%

When asked how it worked, responses were mostly positive but clearly some room for improvement.

“Very well! Technology continues to amaze me!”

“Mixed. Some audio problems.”

“My church used you tube for the music, the service itself was in print on the church website”

“Over all worked well, done tech issues but was better than not having them available.” 

Have you ordered groceries online?

• No - 51%

• Yes - 48%

Did you do your first order online because of the quarantine?

• Yes - 55%

• No - 44%

What services are you using to order groceries online? Select all that apply.

• Local Grocery Service - 46%

• Instacart - 39%

• Walmart - 30%

• Amazon Prime Now - 25% 

• Costco - 5%

• Target - 5%

Have you used a telehealth service or app to connect with a medical professional remotely?

• No - 82%

• Yes - 17%

Have you had prescription medication delivered?

• No - 69%

• Yes - 30%

Most respondents seem like they already have been doing this. Variety of services used from Kaiser, CVS, Express Scripts, and OptumRX.

“VA mail. Works great”

“pharmacy did free mailing”

“Doctor had it delivered. Don't remember which service.”

“Works well. Been doing it for a year or so.”

How are you getting your news right now? Select all that apply.

• Local TV - 65%

• News Website - 57%

• Cable News - 53%

• Social Media - 50% 

• Email Newsletter - 33%

• Printed Newspaper - 21%

• Youtube - 13%

• Podcast - 11%

Are you using an exercise app or YouTube video to help you stay active?

• No - 80%

• Yes - 19%

Did you start using it because of the quarantine?

• No - 52%

• Yes - 47%

Have you played a game on your phone or tablet in the past week?

• Yes - 59%

• No - 41%

In order, Solitaire, Words with Friend, and Sudoku were most frequently mentioned.

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This survey has had many fascinating insights and we will be doing additional analysis in the weeks to come. If you’re interested in the underlying data for your own analysis, please email us at support@snugsafety.com.

Also, as a reminder, Snug is seeking affiliates that want to help us get the word out about our product. If you’re interested, please fill out our affiliate questionnaire.