Nearly Two-Thirds of Voice Assistant Users Access Them on Mobile Phones
A new study by Net Elixir found that 64% of voice assistant users accessed the services through mobile phones. The second most common voice assistant access point was smart speakers (i.e. dedicated home assistant) at 35%. Consumers could indicate multiple points of access so there were also reports of use through tablets, PCs and smart watches.
Source: NetElixir Search Without Screens Report April 2018
These findings are close to those reported by Voicebot in the Smart Speaker Consumer Adoption Report. That report found 66% of voice assistant users accessed the services on smartphones and 31% on smart speakers. NetElixir comments:
“Smartphones are the most popular device among voice search users by a large margin, at nearly 64% of respondents. This isn’t entirely surprising, as voice assistants are now natively integrated into many smartphone models…This means there is a massive user base with access to a voice assistant at their fingertips right now.”
Voice Assistant Use is Growing Fast
Another interesting finding is that voice assistant usage is growing fast. When asked how long these consumers had been actively using voice assistants 35% said less than one year and 64% for less than two years. What is driving all of this increased usage? Voice assistants have become much better during that time, Google Assistant was launched for Android phones in 2017 and smart speakers grew from a base of about two million to over 30 million in the U.S. The report goes on to conclude:
“As more consumers purchase an in-home digital assistant device, newcomers should continue to make up a large contingent of the user base.”
Source: NetElixir Search Without Screens Report April 2018
The improvement of voice assistants on mobile combined with the broader adoption of smart speakers appear to be complementary drivers for more adoption on both devices. This has implications for search, voice commerce and digital consumer engagement strategies. It should reinforce the fact that anyone with a consumer-facing business ignores voice at their peril.
Over Half of Smartphone Owners Use Voice Assistants, Siri Leads the Pack
