Integration with Services and Devices Most Important Smart Speaker Feature: Survey

Sound quality, as per the survey, was the least important feature in a smart speaker. It also highlighted that more than 13 percent of internet users had access to a smart speaker in their households

Smart speaker penetration is more than 20 per cent in India according to a survey conducted by IHS Markit. The survey covered users in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The survey read, “Nearly nine out of ten (89 percent) of households with access to smart speakers reported using a digital assistant in the three-months ending November 2018, compared to just 41 percent of the total sample surveyed.”

It also highlighted that more than 13 percent of internet users had access to a smart speaker in their households in November 2018. Smart speaker penetration ranged from six percent in Japan to 21 percent in the United States.

Most important features in smart speakers

Most people voted ‘integration with services and devices’, as the most important feature in a smart feature. It was followed by a smart speaker’s ability to answer questions with 25 per cent votes. In other words, the intelligence levels of virtual assistant pre-loaded in a smart speaker was the second most important feature in a smart speaker.

“Answering a question and checking the news and weather were the top two functions noted in our survey,” said Fateha Begum, associate director, IHS Markit.

Interestingly, sound quality, raked in the least votes on the least of most important features in a smart speaker. A total of 24 per cent voted in favor of the sound quality as a smart speaker’s most important feature.

Begum added, “Smart speaker households in India and Brazil were more likely to select sound quality as the most important factor. Among Amazon Echo and Google Home owners, the ability to answer questions was most frequently cited as the most important feature, highlighting the quality of their proprietary digital assistants.”

The power of voice assistants

Respondents with access to smart speakers powered by Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa were more likely to rate integration as the most important feature, highlighting the benefit of positioning their digital assistants as smart home hubs.

The survey read, “Both Amazon and Google are able to leverage their own entertainment services in their propositions, such as access to music streaming and audio books.”

It added, “Across all markets, survey respondents were more likely to have access to multiple Amazon Echo devices, than multiple Google Home devices. On average, 21 percent of households with access to an Amazon Echo, accessed two Echo speakers, with a further 15 percent accessing three or more speakers. In comparison, just 15 percent of Google Home respondents had access to two Google Home speakers, with an additional 15 percent accessing three or more speakers.”