Google Home Mini Getting Hard to Find
Google Home Mini’s have made a reappearance at Walmart.com after selling out early on Black Friday, Chalk and charcoal colored models are available for in-store pickup or shipping in 8-10 days.
Google Home Mini in Short Supply?
However, it appears the devices are getting in short supply elsewhere. The Google Store is showing 3-4 week delivery on Chalk and is offering to notify consumers by email when charcoal and coral are back in stock. Google Express appears to have no discounted Google Home Mini devices available. The only current listing is for Bed Bath & Beyond for the full $49 price.
In an interesting twist, you can still buy discounted Amazon Echo Dot’s through Target’s Google Express store for $29.99, but only a full-priced Google Home Mini. Three factors could explain this. Amazon may simply have had produced more devices to reduce the risk of stock-outs. Google may have underestimated demand for Mini devices. Or, consumers naturally look for Google Home Mini on Google Express, but would normally go elsewhere for Amazon Echo products. Voicebot reported last week that Google Express users could purchase an Amazon Echo Dot, but no Google Home products were available on Amazon.com.
Smart Speakers Delivering Big Holiday Sales
We saw Amazon Echo Dots sold out a week before Christmas last year and we may be heading for a repeat of that for Google Home Mini. We are still several weeks out and new device shipments could replenish retailer shelves, but it appears that estimates by Adobe and survey data from Jacobs Media / Sonic AI is playing out as expected. The Adobe research found that devices with voice assistants made up five of the top eight most likely holiday gifts in the consumer electronics category. Jacobs and Sonic reported that 20% of consumers planned to purchase a smart speaker during the holiday season.
20 Percent of Online Households to Buy Smart Speaker During Holiday 2017
You Can Buy Amazon Echo on Google Express, but Not Google Home on Amazon.com
