With Amazon maintaining smart speaker market share over 60%, we often have brands and agencies ask us if it’s worth it to also support Google Assistant. The simple answer is yes for six reasons:
1. Google Assistant is available on over 1 Billion Devices
2. Google Assistant can access more than 85% of all smartphones through Android OS
3. Google Assistant’s smart speaker market share is rising quickly in the U.S. and has dominant market share in several countries
4. Google Assistant is available in dashboards in more than 400 car models through Android Auto
5. Building a Google Assistant Action encourages a discipline that leads to a holistic conversational AI strategy across voice and chat channels
6. Google still dominates search and Actions can help boost your search results across surfaces
1 Billion Devices
Voice interaction is not just about smart speakers. Yes, reaching consumers in the home is a big deal and an entirely new channel for engagement. The adoption of smart speakers has also ushered in a new era of voice interaction on a wide variety of device surfaces ranging from smartphones and TVs to cars, appliances, watches, and earbuds.
Android OS offers Google tremendous reach and a streamlined path to offering Google Assistant with deep device integration. The company announced in January that Google Assistant is available today in over 1 billion devices, about 10 times more than Amazon claims for Alexa. Voice interaction is not exclusive to smart speakers and voice apps will not be either.
Unmatched Smartphone Reach
In 2018 there were more than twice as many monthly active voice assistant users on smartphones as smart speakers in the U.S. Google Assistant accounts for 30% of all voice assistant users on smartphones in the U.S. behind only Apple’s Siri and commands more than twice the share of Alexa users. This is likely more pronounced outside the U.S. where Google Assistant is the dominant voice assistant on smartphones. The usage behaviors differ today across devices but the #1 voice use case on a monthly and daily basis is asking questions while using smartphones. If you want your brand, media property, or organization to have a chance at owning an answer to common queries about your company or topic area, a relevant Google Action experience is the surest path.
Beyond the U.S., Android powers more than 85% of all smartphones and Google Assistant is available today on hundreds of millions of them as the default voice assistant. Google Assistant is often introduced on smartphones into countries with language localization many months or even more than a year ahead of Amazon Alexa showing up in smart speakers. If you have any plans at international expansion, a Google Assistant action is a must.
Rising Smart Speaker Market Share in U.S., Even Stronger Abroad
In addition to Google Assistant’s superior device reach, it also has a rising U.S. smart speaker market share. Google Home devices are now owned by about 24% of all smart speakers owners, up from less than 19% last year. When you add third-party smart speakers powered by Google Assistant, the figure today approaches 30%.
In Australia, Canada, and France, Google Home commands dominant market share in part because it entered each of those markets ahead of Amazon and Apple. A Google Assistant action is essential to a successful voice strategy in those countries.
Available in More Than 400 Automobile Models
The Android OS legacy also is a great asset for Google Assistant access in automobiles. Google Assistant is available today for in-dashboard use in more than 400 car models according to the company. Voicebot data show that there are 60% more monthly active users of voice assistants in cars as on smart speakers today. Hands-free, eyes-free access to content and services in the car is one of the most compelling use cases for voice; however, in-car voice solutions have typically been clunky. Google Assistant via Android Auto is an elegant solution that people love and will give you access to large audiences on the go. an elegant
Holistic Conversational AI Strategy
Every Google Assistant Action is essentially a chatbot too because in addition to working via voice only on smart speakers every Action is required to work via voice and/or text on mobile devices. Therefore, building a Google Assistant action becomes a good discipline that positions your conversational experiences to be optimized for both voice and chat channels. A holistic conversational AI strategy is important to maximizing reach and providing a consistent conversational experience everywhere your users want to be.
Google and Search
Google built its business on search and that is a key asset as it supports voice users since questions are consistently among the top two use cases. As voice search becomes more popular across all devices, Google is the built-in search engine for Google Assistant and the predominant search engine for Apple Safari as well as the Chrome browser both on desktop and mobile. Google Assistant already has tools such as implicit invocations to help users discover your Google Actions much like the way they find your website by search today. And, the knowledge graph will often bias toward delivering an Action as a response to a voice query because they are designed for conversational interactions.
Moreover, this is an opportunity to establish the equivalent of Google Page Rank for voice in the Google Assistant ecosystem. Your chances to rank for a voice engagement without an Action are very low so now is the time to start building that history and gaining free exposure to users through Google Assistant referrals. One Action that XAPP developed for a leading brand often receives more than 60% of its user sessions directly from Google Assistant referrals. Every month you wait on launching your Google Action is time that other voice app publishers can take advantage of to build their authority in Google Assistant enabled search.
It’s a Duopoly, So Don’t Forget Your Google Action
As you can see, there are many strong reasons to build for Google Assistant from the start. If you already have an Alexa skill, we recommend starting your Google Action now. If you are just starting out, we suggest committing to both platforms from the beginning so you don’t delay having a presence through either assistant and you take advantage of the efficiency of bringing both to market together. Besides, voice assistants are a duopoly today in the U.S. and Europe. Both Google Assistant and Alexa have a lot of users and will be important channels for reaching your customers.
You can get started launching a Google Action by clicking the button below.