Global smart speaker sales continued to soar in Q2 2020, with 30 million units shipped

According to preliminary forecasts from Strategy Analytics, under the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic, global smart speaker sales in Q2 2020 increased to 30 million units, up 6% from Q1. Amazon ranked first with a market share of 21.6%, followed by Google (17.1%) and Baidu (16.7%). Chinese manufacturers have recovered from the slow recovery in the first quarter when the pandemic was the worst. However, most US companies were affected by slowing consumer demand in the second quarter, resulting in a decline in sales. Strategy Analytics predicts that as more economies begin to recover, the smart speaker market will perform even stronger in the third quarter, and global smart speaker sales are expected to reach 161 million for the full year.

David Watkins, Director at Strategy Analytics, said: “The pandemic continues to impact sales patterns around the world. Demand in Asia Pacific recovered from the lockdown in Q1 in Q2 2020, but sales in North America and Europe fell slightly quarter-on-quarter as these economies declined. We are optimistic that the recovery in these regions will mirror what we have seen in China, and that the underlying adoption of smart speakers will drive positive market results for the rest of the year.”

David Mercer, Vice President of Media and Interactive Home Services at Strategy Analytics, added: “The negative impact of the pandemic on the smart speaker market has not been as severe as that of major segments such as smartphones, with supply issues in Q1 now largely resolved. However, vendors should pay special attention to brand messaging, as our research clearly shows that consumers are switching brands based on how companies are responding to the pandemic.”