Voice assistant usage now at ‘critical mass’ as Google Assistant crowned smartest
In the past, some people referred to search as “the universal interface.” That role is gradually being taken over by voice assistants.
112 million monthly users. A new estimate from eMarketer pegs the number of monthly users of voice assistants at roughly 112 million, up from 102 million in 2018. The firm characterizes this as “critical mass,” although it still represents a minority of internet users (40%).
By 2021 eMarketer says about 123 million people will be using voice assistants at least monthly.
Separately, last week, Loop Ventures released its latest comparison of virtual assistants. The report focuses on smartphones and rates Google Assistant, Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa in their responses to 800 questions across a range of categories: local, commerce, navigation, information and “command.”
Google Assistant the best performer, but Siri and Alexa did well. The study found, “Google Assistant was once again the best performer, correctly answering 93% and correctly understanding all 800 questions. Siri was next, answering 83% correctly and only misunderstanding two questions. Alexa correctly answered 80% and only misunderstood one.”
Ultimately Google Assistant is in the strongest position and will likely become the dominant voice assistant, with corresponding advertising and commerce implications for marketers and brands. An open question is whether or how much voice will eventually supplant traditional search on mobile devices.
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