Smart speaker statistics show just how popular smart speakers are becoming today. These devices are not only the new way to listen to music, but now that they have voice commands, they can be so much more.
All kinds of companies are trying to get their piece of this popular and lucrative market as more people catch onto this new technological trend.
Find out who’s selling them, who’s buying them, and how the pandemic changed the way we think about them.
Smart Speaker Statistics (Editor’s Choice):
- The global smart speaker market is worth almost $12 billion
- A quarter of people in the US have a smart speaker
- Amazon’s share of the global smart speaker market is 28%
- Nearly 70% of voice assistant users do their smart tasks via their speakers
- Over 30% of people in the US aged 18 to 29 have a smart speaker at home
- As per a report, over 150 million smart speakers were shipped globally in 2020
- 70% of smart speaker owners have privacy concerns regarding their speakers
- In the Q2 of 2021, Amazon shipped 10.6 million smart speaker units
Basic Smart Speaker Statistics for 2020
The smart speaker sphere is a booming (no pun intended) industry that continues to expand as new technology and design are implemented at affordable prices. The latest trends and stats show how smart speakers are becoming a staple in the average American home.
1. The global market for smart speakers is valued at $11.9 billion.
(Statista)
According to recent smart speaker statistics, the product market is worth billions of dollars, and its popularity will continue to grow in the upcoming years. Experts predict that the market will be worth $35.5 billion by 2025, more than double that in 2020.
2. 25% of Americans own a smart speaker.
(Mindstream, MarTech)
One-quarter of U.S citizens over 18 years old have a smart speaker in their home, and current smart speaker trends show that approximately 40% of smart speaker users have more than one device. This amounts to over 157 million devices in use, with 54% using voice command options.
3. With over 28%, Amazon has the biggest share of the global smart speaker market.
(Statista)
Amazon is currently dominating the smart speaker industry with their product Alexa, but Google comes in second with a smart speaker market share of 22.6%. Apple currently holds 7.8%.
4. A report showed that 154 million smart speakers were shipped globally in 2020.
(Omdia)
Moreover, the global smart speaker market increased by almost 60% in 2020, with the total revenue reaching $3.2 billion globally. In particular, there was a 71% increase in North America’s shipments and a 48% increase in shipments in the Asian market.
5. Amazon shipped 10.6 million units of smart speakers in the Q2 of 2021.
(Statista)
On the other hand, Google and Baidu only shipped 6–7 million smart speakers each.
There’s an increase in these shipments compared to the same period the year before. Then, Amazon shipped 6.5 million smart speaker units, Google — 5.1 million, and Baidu — 5 million units.
At the end of 2019, Amazon had 15.8 million shipments of this smart listening device.
6. Google had 13.2 million shipments of smart speakers in the last quarter of 2020.
(Voicebot)
Smart speaker statistics for 2019 show that Apple only shipped around 4.6 million speakers, while Amazon and Google lead the sales market. Other popular speaker manufacturers, such as Alibaba and Baidu, also increased their sales, with almost 6 million combined shipments in the same period.
7. 69% of voice assistant users do their smart tasks via their speakers.
(Techradar, Mindstream)
Smart speakers are not just for easy listening and on-command song changes. Notably, smart speaker technology trends show that nearly three-quarters of owners use their smart speakers to access and control their voice assistants.
Research shows that people still prefer doing more complex voice assistant tasks via their phones, but 65% of people report checking the weather with their speaker, and 5% reported online shopping. Other common tasks that users report are making grocery lists, turning lights on and off, and hearing the latest headlines.
Smart Speaker User Demographics
The use of smart speakers varies across age, economic class, and education level. While this is an expanding industry, not everyone uses these devices the same. There is one further category that changes whether people are using smart speakers or not: beliefs about privacy and security.
8. 32% of Americans aged 18 to 29 have a smart speaker at home.
(Statista)
Recent trends in smart speaker technology show that one-third of younger generations own at least one smart speaker. Further, 28% of people aged 30 to 49 have this device at home, showing a correlation between age and likelihood of owning one, with just 20% of participants aged 50 and up reporting owning a smart speaker.
9. 30% of U.S. college graduates have a smart speaker in their house.
(Statista)
Stats on the smart speaker market for 2020 show that about 27% of college-educated Americans possess this device. Notably, less than 19% of Americans with a high school education or lower admit to owning a smart speaker.
10. 34% of Americans with an annual income of $75,000 or more own a smart speaker.
(Statista)
When it comes to smart speakers, economic status is a major indicator of use. Notably, 24% of those with an income of $30,000 to $75,000 have a smart speaker, compared to just 15% of U.S. adults with annual earnings of less than $30,000.
Smart Speaker Usage Statistics
Even those that are only familiar with the basics of smart speakers are aware of their many uses. These smart devices can perform anything from regular everyday tasks to more complicated commands, making them a multi-functional tool for the average smart user.
11. Over 73% of Americans use their smart speakers to listen to a music streaming platform monthly.
(Statista)
Using these devices to listen to music is among the most popular smart speaker trends. Nearly 48% of adults in the United States visit a streaming platform every day, and 88% of Americans have used their smart speakers to listen to music at least once.
12. 66.2% of U.S. adults use smart speakers to ask a question at least once a month.
(Statista)
Around 83% of Americans have tried to use their speakers for the purpose of asking a question at least once. In addition, voice assistant statistics show that 29% of U.S. adults ask a question via their smart speaker every day.
13. Almost 60% of Americans have used their smart speakers to set their alarm.
(Statista)
According to research, 64.5% of U.S. adults have tried to set a timer with the help of their smart speaker, and almost 60% of Americans have tried to listen to the radio on their smart device at least once.
Security: Smart Speakers Statistics
Ever since smart speakers were created, customer concern about the amount of information stored and shared on them has been growing and not without merit. Various brands have been outed with scandals about data collection, sharing, and use without permission resulting in increasing concern over privacy policies and security measures.
14. 7 in 10 smart speaker owners have privacy concerns about their speakers.
(MobileMarketing)
Hub Entertainment Research conducted a study on the smart speaker market and user privacy concerns. The study showed that, while the number of customers continues to rise, the concerns about privacy and security remain a pertinent issue.
15. 91% of users are worried that their speakers are listening to them without their knowledge.
(MobileMarketing)
The same study showed that the main concern of smart speaker customers is that their speaker is eavesdropping on them. According to smart speaker technology trends,
90% of consumers reported being afraid that their data is being collected without their permission, and their conversations in their home are being recorded.
This concern isn’t without cause, either. As several cases with this new technology have indicated that the devices stay recording, even when a trigger word hasn’t been said.
16. 55% of smart speaker owners claim they feel anxious about their speakers listening in on their conversations.
(SurveyMonkey)
Survey Monkey conducted an opinion study on Apple, Google, Amazon Echo, and Alexa user statistics. Almost 60% of participants reported that privacy concerns are the main reasons why they opted not to have one, while 30% reported expense as the main reason they don’t own one.
17. 63% of smart speaker non-users in America are afraid of hacking.
(Intrado)
Two years prior to this survey, just 41% of non-users had the same fear indicating an increasing level of unease regarding privacy and security with smart devices. Moreover, 40% of people that don’t have a smart speaker are afraid that the government is using these devices to monitor them.
The Effects of the Pandemic on Smart Speaker Statistics
The pandemic brought many uncertainties, but one thing we know for sure: technology became our greatest crutch and ally through this period. The pandemic influenced the way people use, buy, and think about technology in a major way.
18. 36% of people in the U.S. listened to music and entertainment on their smart speakers more often during the pandemic.
(Statista)
The pandemic resulted in people being at home far more than at any point in history. Notably, 55% of those in the smart speaker market share said their user behavior didn’t change in 2020, while 9% reported listening to music on their smart speakers less often than before the pandemic.
Still, 52% of people in the US aged 18 to 34 listened to music on their smart speakers more often, while 39% of Gen Z and Millennials reported that the pandemic didn’t affect their usage at all.
19. 35% of people living in the U.S. used their smart speakers for news and information more frequently.
(Statista)
A survey on smart speaker stats also showed that a certain number of people used their devices for getting information more frequently, while 9% of survey participants reported they used their speakers less. Ultimately, the majority of people used their smart speakers for news just as frequently as before.
20. 50% of people that are 18 to 34 years old listened to news via their smart speakers more during the pandemic.
(Statista)
According to stats on smart speaker demographics, both Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen Xers said they used their smart speakers for news more often during the pandemic. Just 16% of those aged 55 or older reported using smart speakers for this purpose.
21. 34% of people that didn’t own a smart speaker during the pandemic claimed they were likely to buy the device in the next six months.
(InsideRadio)
Smart speaker ownership stats showed that the pandemic signaled a call for all those that didn’t already have a smart speaker in their home to try it out. The numbers grew even more for those that use voice commands on their other devices like smartphones, and 52% of consumers said they plan to buy a smart speaker in the next six months, even if they already have one.
Smart Home Speaker Statistics: Final Thoughts
The adoption of smart devices in the global population is dramatically growing every year. Smart speakers have the ability to aid in everyday tasks as well as perform more complicated assignments in a matter of seconds.
The market is currently dominated by three major companies: Amazon, Google, and Apple, but there are a few smaller brands that also are taking their share of the profits. The use of smart speakers varies based on several demographics such as age, educational, level, and economic status.
Still, smart speaker statistics show that the pandemic encouraged many to adopt this technology and employ its many different uses.
People Also Ask
How many smart speakers are there?
According to available statistics, the number of smart speakers that are currently in use is 320 million as of 2020. Experts predict that there will be twice as many speakers of this kind by the end of 2024. Furthermore, almost 90 million adults in the United States use this new technology, over 30% more than in the year before.
What is the point of smart speakers?
Smart speakers have multiple functions, with the primary purpose of controlling these processes using voice control. The most popular use of this device is to access music streaming platforms and select songs and music genres without being near the device.
Voice assistants can be used to check email, report daily news, check outside temperatures, and also control other devices within a smart house network such as locking doors, turning lights on and off, and alarming or disarming security systems.
Are smart speakers useful?
If you want a smart home or simply want to simplify your daily activities, smart speakers can be helpful. For example, you can use your voice to command your speaker to wake you up with your favorite song. You also have the ability to have all of your questions answered in a matter of seconds, or shop online effortlessly.
How much data does a smart speaker use?
The answer depends on which type of speaker you have as well as what kind of command you’re giving. For instance, Alexa uses around 36 MB of bandwidth daily. In case you want Alexa to turn your light on or off, it will only need about 5 kB of data. Assigning Alexa to play radio will take you around 28 MB of bandwidth.
Which is the best smart home speaker?
Smart speakers come in different sizes, with various features, and at different price points. As such, knowing what you want out of your speaker is the best way to determine the most suited one for your needs.
Besides the basic properties such as the size, price, and features, checking the audio quality is a major factor to consider. Ensuring the speaker will pair with your other devices is especially important if you want to integrate it into your existing smart home.
Are smart speakers safe?
According to experts, smart speakers from the most popular manufacturers such as Google, Apple, and Amazon, passed the basic security measures and are safe to use. Still, many are concerned about privacy and safety considerations.
For instance, in 2020, a significant error allowed Google Home devices to record customers at all times without their permission. The bug was fixed, but it showed us how dangerous our smart devices could be to threatening our most intimate privacy. Current smart speaker statistics show that many are skeptical about the possibility of privacy invasion by this useful, yet powerful technology.