Smart Speakers Market Experiences an 8.2% Sales Growth Despite COVID-19 – Strategy Analytics

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, global sales of smart speakers in Q1 2020 reached $28.2 million units, an increase of 8.2% on Q1 2019, according to new research from Strategy Analytics. Amazon remained the leading brand with a share of 23.5%, up from 21.5% in the same period a year ago. Google retained second place with a 19.3% share, compared to 17.9% in Q1 2019. The global shares of Chinese vendors Baidu, Alibaba and Xiaomi all decreased as they faced supply and demand challenges in the Chinese domestic market as a result of pandemic-related measures. In Q2 2020, however, Chinese supply chains have been returning to normal and the Q2 shares of Chinese vendors will rise again. At the same time Amazon and Google will come under pressure because of the impact of lock downs in North American and European markets.

David Watkins, Director at Strategy Analytics, commented on this unexpected growth, saying “Much uncertainty lies ahead of course but the current stay-at-home conditions present an opportunity for smart speaker vendors and voice assistant operators to reinforce the value proposition of voice-first experiences. The growth in demand for smart displays in recent weeks shows that smart speaker devices are playing their part in alleviating the impact of lock down conditions by improving access to video chat services for family and friends, amongst other things.”

David Watkins, Strategy Analytics

David Mercer, Strategy Analytics

David Mercer, Vice President and Principal Analyst at Strategy Analytics, added “Disruption to economies and the retailing environment will continue to affect demand dynamics for much of 2020, so vendors must continue to plan for volatility. Tailoring and adapting brand communications towards rapidly changing consumer needs and attitudes is critical for vendors wishing to minimize the impact of the pandemic as far as possible.”

Suggested Publishing Date: Anytime after 5/14 (Original’s date). I know this is fairly old, but I noticed I hadn’t put up any reports on connected homes.

David Mercer Picture: I couldn’t find any larger pictures of Mercer

David Watkins Picture: That’s the largest photo of Watkins I could find. If it’s too small, I could make it somewhat larger as the current photo has a drink cropped out. If its too unprofessional, there is another much smaller image that is more professional.