Alexa Skill Growth Slows in UK and Germany, Still Outnumber Google Assistant
Last week Voicebot reported that the Amazon Alexa skill count has surpassed 15,000 in the US as of June 30, a growth of 23% from the previous month. However, new Voicebot data shows that the Alexa skill growth in the UK and Germany slowed down in June, most significantly in the UK. New skills in the UK grew from 6,238 to 6,433, a growth of about only 3% which is a considerable decrease from May, where Alexa skills grew 35%.
In Germany however, the Alexa skill growth remained more consistent. The German Alexa skill store added 125 new skills this month, representing a 9.68% growth compared to a 9.97% growth for the previous month. It is worth noting that Germany has significantly more Flash Briefing skills than the UK Alexa skill store, both by total number and percent of total skills overall. These simple information skills could have contributed to Germany remaining consistent, as almost half of all the new skills from this month were Flash Briefings.
Slow Growth, But Google Assistant is Still Behind
Despite the slower growth for Alexa skills in the UK and German markets, the number of voice apps available for Google Assistant is still behind. Google Assistant only gained 74 new voice apps in June, while the UK gained 195 new skills and Germany, 125. The Amazon Echo launched in Germany and the UK around the same time as the Google Home did in the US last year, yet Alexa skills for those countries vastly outnumber the total voice apps for Google Assistant. If the number of voice apps available for Alexa and Google Assistant are an indication of enthusiasm, Google could have a hard time increasing its market share. Especially when you consider Amazon’s large lead in both categories.
Editor’s Note: Thank you to Voicebot readers Dan Whaley and Max Koziolek for their contributions to the research behind this analysis.
UK Alexa Skills Jump 35 Percent in May, Google Actions Climb 31 Percent
