Is Alexa really the name on everyone’s lips?
According to the press, the personal assistant revolution is already upon us. But are people really warming to the Amazon Echo, Google Home and Samsung Bixby? Streetbees took the pulse of their community.
Once upon a time, the term Personal Assistant was an unambiguous one. For business professionals pressed for time, someone to organise their affairs was — and still is — a necessity.
But as we know, streamlining day-to-day life isn’t a problem exclusive to the workspace; a notion not lost on the tech community’s major players. Combine this with the rapid evolution of both technology and accessibility and we find that sleek, voice-controlled hardware is becoming a common feature in millions of homes worldwide.
Of course, it’s not quite as simple as that. While early adopters mean a not-so-insignificant number of converts have already purchased personal assistant devices, the true level of market penetration is still subject to question.
So what does the public really think of them? Streetbees spoke to 865 people across the US and UK to understand exactly how seriously to take these new players, and whether ordinary people are integrating the technology into their daily lives.
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The easiest place to start? Whether people have actually heard of the technologies in question.
Streetbees asked its respondents to reel off as many personal assistant devices as they could. The results highlighted their growing presence within the marketplace, with 53% successfully recalling at least one device.
It’s here, though, that the imbalances of the industry were laid bare: of the devices recalled, 66% of these were Amazon products, while the next closest, Google, was remembered by just 14% of the share.
But as Streetbees drilled down into who was actually using these devices, the study gained a new dimension. Comparing the US and the UK, the picture cut across gender lines.
While there is little gender disparity in Britain (54% of female respondents owning a device, compared to 59% of males), the US is a different picture.
Three-quarters of the men we spoke to across the country said they owned a personal assistant, compared to just 60% of women. For brands, the challenge is clear; many women are already open to the technology — the question is how to convert them into long-term users.
So far, success has had much to do with timing. The Amazon Echo has had a head start on its adversary, Google Home, and this can be seen keenly among those aged 36–45 — an affluent, albeit often more cautious, segment of consumers.
Within this bracket, three times as many consumers have invested in an Amazon device than a Google one, signifying the uphill battle that Google faces in order to assert itself as a dominant force within the market.
Amazon’s success, the results show, can be attributed as much to quality as to awareness. When comparing the Amazon and Google, respondents considered the Echo to be a much hotter prospect, i.e. people are talking about it. With that comes a greater likelihood to recommend it to their friends — often as a form of status.
However, this doesn’t spread unanimously across the board, particularly as concerns over data and security continue to be top-of-mind issues for many consumers.
“I didn’t care for the amount of information they have on the household”, said one, “they couldn’t explain what they needed it for, either”. “The interface is a little confusing”, said another, “and it all just feels a little… unfamiliar”.
Because of this, Google Home is already a nose ahead in the trust ratings. Shaping Google’s strategy around reliability and privacy, as opposed to a chic, unique product — staples of Amazon’s branding proposition — could see it win what is set to be an epic battle within a market that is ready to blow.
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A quick word on our methodology: The figures in the article are taken from 865 people across the US and the UK, carried out in February 2018 aged 18–45+. All of the data was collected by mobile and web surveys, and is accurate to within 3 percentage points 19 times out of 20.
Streetbees is an independent research platform, founded on the principle of humanising how we collect data. Join our community today by downloading the Streetbees app.
