• by Chuck Martin , Staff Writer, April 9, 2018

Smart speaker ownership continues to rise and most people who have one use it every day.

Consumers who have smart speakers also are using them to do a wide range of things, according to a survey of 2,300 adult consumers in the U.S. and U.K. conducted by Kantar’s Lightspeed.

The study found that more than a third (34%) of Americans and 31% of those in the U.K. now own a smart speaker, with Amazon dominating the market with its Echo line of products.

Smart speakers like Amazon’s Echo and Google Home can do a whole lot more than just play music, though that’s the top activity. Here’s what U.S. smart speaker owners are doing with their devices:

• 19% -- Play music, podcasts, audio books
• 15% -- Set a timer or reminder
• 15% -- Learn the weather outdoors
• 15% -- Look up information online
• 8% -- Add appointments to calendar
• 7% -- Call someone
• 7% -- Purchase items online
• 6% -- Tell jokes
• 4% -- Order food
• 2% -- Take market research surveys
• 2% -- Order a car service

For the U.K., the percentages were only slightly different, but the order is the same as in the U.S.

Amazon’s smart speakers, comprising the Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Plus, Echo Show and Echo Spot, account for 67% of the overall U.S. market. Google products account for 30% and Sonos 3% in the U.S.

People who have smart speakers use them. Almost three-quarters (72%) of consumers use their smart speaker at least once a day with 46% of those using them multiple times a day.

The market is still growing. Nearly a third (31%) of consumers surveyed said they plan to purchase a smart speaker sometime within the next year.

Smart speakers aren’t going away anytime soon.