Amazon Echo Dot Sold Out in France, Germany, and Italy Through March While Smart Displays Sold Out in U.S.

• Amazon Echo Dots are sold out in France, Germany, and Italy and are not expected to be available until March while the U.K. will see the devices return the first week January 2019
• France and Italy only show the smart display Echo spot available for sale in those countries in advance of the Christmas holiday
• The U.S. Amazon store shows backorders on its smart displays Echo Spot and Echo Show with availability again appearing in early January
• The Echo Show has also extended its backorder status in Germany with current ship dates quoted as December 25th
• The smart home-focused Echo Plus is in particularly short supply with backorders until at least December 29th in Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Spain, and the U.K.
• At least one Amazon Echo product is on backorder in every country where localized versions of the devices are sold except Australia, Japan, and Mexico
• Google Home devices appear to be available in all countries for immediate shipment

Amazon appears to once again be selling a lot of Echo products during the holiday shopping season. The company indicated that the Echo Dot was the top-selling item on Amazon.com worldwide over the traditional Black Friday shopping weekend. That shopper enthusiasm seems to have spread to other Echo products. With just eight days remaining before the end of the 2018 holiday shopping season, Amazon’s local websites are showing backorders on a wide range of smart speaker and smart display products (see table below).

Source: Voicebot.ai, December 17, 2018

Particularly notable is the information showing the entry-level Echo Dot is on backorder until March 21, 2019, in Austria, France, Germany, and Italy. The device is also under delayed shipment until December 21st or 22nd in India, Ireland, Spain, the U.K., and the U.S. It is unusual to see a smart speaker listed as out of stock for at least three months. The situation suggests that Amazon either grossly underestimated demand, is having trouble with its component supply chain, or both. However, all may not be lost if you are still looking for an Echo Dot in France. A Reddit user noted that some devices are still available at retailers.

Voicebot reported last week that Echo products were beginning to show backorder status in a number of countries and that situation has worsened with another shopping weekend behind us. The Amazon Echo Plus which is designed to make it easier for users to connect to a variety of smart home device appears to be selling particularly well with backorders until the end of December or early January in six countries.

Will The Shortages Hurt Echo Q1 Sales?

The three-month shortages should also be concerning to Amazon because early Q1 has historically seen additional smart speaker sales as consumers first introduced to the device as a gift go on to purchase additional units after becoming familiar with the product. Consumer options to expand their smart speaker collection in January may be limited in several countries or they may only have the option of purchasing the more expensive models.

Smart Display Sales May Be Picking Up

Voicebot has reported previously that smart displays (i.e. smart speakers with screens) were not selling particularly well with only about 5.9% of smart speaker owners opting for the screen versions as of May 2018. That number had risen little to just 7.1% by September, but consumer sentiment may be changing.

Amazon has two smart displays, the Echo Spot and Echo Show. There is a new version of Echo Show in 2019 and that is currently on backorder until after the holiday in Austria, Germany, and the U.S. The bedside clock-radio replacement Echo Spot is on backorder until the end of this month or early January in the U.S. and Spain and is showing delayed shipments in Italy. Google’s rival device, Home Hub, has been widely discounted by retailers and still appears to be available for immediate shipment in several countries. It will be worth noting whether smart displays can rise significantly in ownership levels or if consumers will continue to prefer their voice-activated devices focus on sound over visuals.

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