Commentary

Consumers Turning To Smart Speakers To Help Decide On Brands, Products

Almost all consumers are now aware of smart speakers -- but that doesn’t necessarily mean they know a lot about them or what they do.

While almost all (95%) consumers have heard of smart speakers, one in five (20%) don’t know much about them, based on a new study.

The study comprised a survey of 4,000 U.S. and U.K. consumers conducted by Delineate, a research and insights agency based in the U.K.

Amazon, with its pioneering line of Echo line of devices, is the consistent market leader, with Google’s Home not far behind. Here’s the U.S. market share of voice devices that consumers own or have access to:

  • 22% -- Amazon Echo
  • 14% -- Google Home
  • 10% -- Apple HomePod
  • 8% --   Samsung
  • 7% --   Sony

Smart speakers are beginning to take the place of other devices in the home, most notably the smartphone and computer. Here’s what U.S consumers are using smart speakers for in the home:

  • 12% -- Learn something
  • 11% -- Research a brand, company
  • 11% -- Entertainment, fun
  • 10% -- Check facts
  • 10% -- Follow the news
  • 9% --   Help choose a brand or product
  • 8% --   Follow celebrities

Traditional searches on PCs and phones still are significantly larger, but the trend is clear. The reality is that it’s easy to do a voice search of almost anything, and voice recognition is continually improving.

Key for marketers is that almost one in 10 consumers (9% in the U.S., 7% in the U.K.) are already using smart speakers to help them decide on brands and products.

Consumers are also using smart speakers to shop. Of those with smart speakers in their homes in the U.S., half (49%) of consumers shop via smart speaker, while most (85%) of them still shop in stores.

The study also found that smart speakers aren’t just for reordering regular shopping list products but also for make first-time purchases. While 44% of consumers use their smart speakers for reordering, almost as many (42%) use them to make first-time purchases.

Smart speaker growth will only continue. A quarter (25%) of those who don’t have a smart speaker are interested in getting one.

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