The global smart speaker market reaches a new high in 2019, Strategy Analytics reports, as shipments total 146.9 million units-- a 70% increase over 2018, with Amazon remaining squarely in the lead, if with a decline in market share.
According to the analyst, Amazon holds 26.2% of the 2019 market, down from 33.7% in 2018. Google remains in 2nd place with 20.3% share, down from 25.9% in 2018, with both Amazon and Google seeing "slight" decline in Europe and the US, the result of customers looking to other brands to fulfill their smart speaker needs. On the other hand, Chinese vendors Baidu, Alibaba and Xiaomi all see increases in share, while Apple remains in 6th place with 4.7% share.
Another record for 2019 involves Q4 2019 sales reaching 55.7m units, the highest quarterly sales figure as per Strategy Analytics. Driving such numbers are strong holiday sales in Europe and the US, as well as the recovery of the Google smart speaker business following new product introductions, improved component supply and strong promotional activity.
“Consumer appetite for smart speakers remained undimmed during the all-important Q4 period as newly launched devices with improved feature sets and audio performance helped drive record quarterly shipments," the analyst says. "Consumers across the world were once again enticed by scarcely believable deals from leading brands such as Google, Amazon, Baidu and Alibaba, while Google in particular stepped up its giveaway promotional activity in partnership with brands such as YouTube and Spotify.”
Looking into the near future, the analyst predicts 2020 will be a similarly record year for the smart speaker business, despite the corona virus (aka Covid-19) disrupting supply and demand.
Go Strategy Analytics: New Record for Smart Speakers As Global Sales Reached 146.9 Million in 2019