Ownership of Smart Speakers Grew Nearly 40%

Ownership of Smart Speakers Grew Nearly 40%, in the last two years, adoption of connected devices in the U.S. saw steady growth with ownership of smart speakers up nearly 40% and home automation products more than doubling, according to The NPD Group. As a result, having an integrated ecosystem to seamlessly leverage this connected network is essential. Findings from NPD’s latest Evolving Ecosystem Report indicate smart speakers are securing their footing at the center of this ecosystem, as owners of these devices over index in ownership of other connected technology categories and digital voice assistant usage.

The report, which examines changing mobile, TV streaming, and smart speaker technologies through a lens of interconnectivity, reveals smart speaker owners are 35% more likely than the total market to own home automation devices, 26% more likely to own a streaming media player, and 21% more likely to own a connected smart TV.  Smart speaker owners also use device voice commands at a higher rate than other device owners – with 91% of smart speaker owners noting they use the device’s voice commands, while only 72% of smartphone owners use voice control capabilities. This underlines the emergence of other smart devices, not just smartphones, as more ubiquitous and useful within the home ecosystem.

“While two years ago the goal of ecosystem brands was to convert consumers”

“While two years ago the goal of ecosystem brands was to convert consumers who hadn’t yet adopted the technology, that has shifted to growing the existing base, which can be done by focusing on synergy among brands rather than strictly competing,” said Eddie Hold, president of the Connected Intelligence practice at NPD. “As we look to newer categories like smart appliances, it will continue to become more important and mutually beneficial for brands to make products versatile enough to be embraced by owners of different ecosystems rather than trying to have a product in every category.”

NPD’s newly released Evolving Ecosystem Report examines device and service trends and ownership levels to understand the evolution of – and competition for – the coveted position of hub of the ecosystem. Data for the report was collected between February and March 2022. Beyond the adoption of devices and the preference for varying brands’ ecosystems, the report also examines the demographics of those using these technologies,  Ownership of Smart Speakers Grew Nearly 40%.