Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant In Neck and Neck Fight For Smart Speaker Leadership: Strategy Analytics

BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant platforms will take an almost
equal share of the global smart speaker market this year, according to
the latest forecast from Strategy Analytics. Amazon Alexa had a 37.7%
share of sales in 2018, but this will decline to 31.7% in 2019, while
Google Assistant’s share will rise from 30.3% to 31.4%. Global sales of
all smart speakers are expected to reach 135 million units this year, a
growth rate of 57%. The remaining sales will be shared between more than
a dozen other voice OS platforms, including Apple’s Siri, Alibaba’s Ali
Genie, Baidu’s Duer OS, and Xiaomi’s Xiao AI.

The full report from Strategy Analytics’ Smart Speakers and Screens
(SSS) service, Smart Speaker Shipment and Installed Base Forecast by
Voice OS by Region, can be found here: https://www.strategyanalytics.com/access-services/devices/connected-home/smart-speakers-and-screens/market-data/report-detail/smart-speaker-shipment-and-installed-base-forecast-by-voice-os-by-region-2014-to-2024

The report predicts that global sales of Google Assistant smart speakers
will overtake Amazon Alexa devices for the first time in 2020. It
concludes that Google Assistant has a number of advantages which will
secure its leadership position in the coming years, including:

• Google’s established global leadership in search
• Google’s strong position in machine learning and artificial
  intelligence
• Wide availability of Android services which integrate with Google
  Assistant
• A more extensive international footprint

David Watkins, Director at Strategy Analytics, commented: “Amazon
pioneered the smart speaker business nearly five years ago and its Alexa
platform has held the lead until now. But rival platforms have steadily
eaten into Alexa’s share and the voice platform market is likely to
remain fragmented for the foreseeable future. Google Assistant will lead
in many western markets, while a number of Chinese platforms will
continue to vie for dominance in China’s domestic market.”

David Mercer, VP and Principal Analyst, added: “At the moment
there is little sign of smart speakers replicating the dual-platform
structure of the smartphone business. Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant
will each build strong global bases of more than a hundred million smart
speaker users, but plenty of room remains for rivals such as Apple and
the Chinese internet players.”

Note: The research assesses both first- and third-party smart speakers,
i.e. Google’s and Amazon’s own-brand devices as well as other brand
devices which use the Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa platforms.

About Strategy Analytics

Strategy Analytics, Inc. provides the competitive edge with advisory
services, consulting and actionable market intelligence for emerging
technology, mobile and wireless, digital consumer and automotive
electronics companies. With offices in North America, Europe and Asia,
Strategy Analytics delivers insights for enterprise success. www.StrategyAnalytics.com

Contacts

European Contacts:
David Watkins, +33 153 409 952, dwatkins@strategyanalytics.com

David Mercer, +44 1908 423 610, dmercer@strategyanalytics.com

US Contacts:
Bill Ablondi, +1 617 614 0744, wablondi@strategyanalytics.com

Jack Narcotta, +1 617 614 0798, jnarcotta@strategyanalytics.com