Are Smart Speakers Causing Consumers to Use Smartphones Less?

Results of a study recently conducted by Accenture appears to suggest so. What Accenture did was ask 21,000 mobile users from 19 countries across the globe about their smartphone and smart speaker usage. And the company found that two thirds (66 percent) of the 2,271 who answered a question about smart speakers are saying that they are using their smartphone less since acquiring a smart speaker. And of that specific 66 percent subgroup, 64 percent of them claimed that they use their smartphone devices less for entertainment. Moreover, 58 percent of them use their mobile devices less for online shopping, while 56 percent of them use their phones for general information searches.

Right now, it is estimated that 21 percent of people living in America already have a smart speaker system. According to Accenture, smart speakers will likely be purchased by 37 percent of consumers based in the United States this year. The company is further projecting that households in countries such as Brazil, China, India, and Mexico will also be highly interested in owning smart speaker system, displaying interest rates in the high to mid 30 percent range.

There is plenty of evidence to back this trend. As explained by Accenture, among today’s most widely used consumer electronics, the smart speaker group has grown over 50 percent last year, in all the countries that took part in the firm’s survey. People are certainly enjoying being owners of such devices -- Accenture reports that 94 percent of all smart speaker users claim that they were either satisfied or very satisfied with their devices. And while it is true that smart speakers’ marketing penetration is still considered limited, 63 percent of all those surveyed did state that they were either already using a smart speaker system or are thinking of getting one in the near future.

There is no denying that smartphones are probably the most widely used consumer electronic devices of today, with phone makers enjoying global popularity like never before. But when it comes to producing smart speaker systems, the world’s most recognized mobile brands have a lot of catching up to do. 

This year could see more concentrated efforts from the mobile phone industry in getting consumers everywhere to purchase their smart speaker offerings. For instance, Samsung (widely considered as the number one seller of smartphone devices in the planet) is looking to launch its own take on the smart speaker concept within the first six months of this year. Apple, the number two phone maker in the world, is also planning to release its own smart speaker (integrated with Siri) within the first half of 2018.