Parks Associates has unveiled new research from its Consumer Insights: Tech Ecosystem Dashboard and AI Experience Dashboard showing artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the smart speaker market, as consumers increasingly expect devices to deliver personalised, context-aware assistance.
The research shows one-half of US internet households own a smart speaker or smart display, making it one of the largest installed base of devices in the connected home. According to the Tech Ecosystem Dashboard, Amazon accounts for 78 per cemt of recent smart display purchases, reinforcing its leadership in the connected home ecosystem.
The firm’s latest analysis follows Bloomberg’s reports that OpenAI is developing a portable, screenless AI companion, highlighting a broader shift toward AI-native connected home experiences. For a more mature product category like smart speakers, AI creates new replacement opportunities by expanding their role from voice assistants to intelligent companions. In addition, Amazon recently announced that US customers who use Alexa for Shopping on Amazon spend an average of over 40 per cent more per order than those who don’t.
“Smart speakers have reached mass-market adoption, and the next phase of growth will be driven by intelligence rather than hardware,” commented Elizabeth Parks, President and CMO, Parks Associates. “Consumers increasingly expect so much more from the hardware products they buy. Whether or not OpenAI ultimately launches a portable, screenless AI companion, the industry is moving toward more personalised, AI-driven experiences.”
Device manufacturers, broadband providers, security companies, utilities, and smart home platform providers all have opportunities to integrate conversational AI into customer experiences, creating new recurring service opportunities while improving engagement and satisfaction.
