Smart Speaker sales continue to grow in US with over half of them owning the base model according to investment research company Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, LLC (CIRP). CIRP analysis indicates that the US installed base of Smart Speaker devices is 76 million units, up from 70 million units in the March 2019 quarter and 50 million units in the June 2018 quarter. Amazon Echo has 70% of the installed base, with Google Home accounting for 25% and Apple HomePod at 5%.
Josh Lowitz, Partner and Co-Founder of CIRP, said, “While the biggest growth in the market for Smart Speakers is in the holiday fourth quarter, Amazon Echo and Google Home continues to grow their installed bases in the past couple of quarters. The market grew by 9% in the second quarter, and more than 50% year over year. Including Apple HomePod, all three major producers have maintained steady shares of the market in the past year. Continued aggressive pricing of the entry-level models seems to continue to encourage new customers to try a Smart Speaker and existing owners to consider adding more devices to their home.”
The percentage of Smart Speaker owners with the lowest-priced, entry-level model for each of Amazon Echo and Google Home (Dot and mini, respectively) exceeded 50% in the quarter.
Mike Levin, Partner and Co-Founder of CIRP, said, “The two leading producers have continued to introduce higher-end models with screens and upgraded sound. Despite that, the market is dominated by the lowest priced models. Both Amazon and Google seem to be aggressively trying to capture households that will be loyal to the Alexa or Google Home operating system. The next frontier is monetizing those platforms.”
CIRP bases its findings on surveys of US owners of Amazon Echo, Google Home, and Apple HomePod, surveyed from July 1-10, 2019, who owned one of these devices as of June 30, 2019. For further information on CIRP, which provides securities research to the investment community using advanced consumer market research strategies, methods, and techniques go here.
