France: 3.2m now using smart speakers
July 16, 2019
Awareness of voice-controlled smart speakers continues to grow in France with nine out of 10 French online users now “knowing about them” and 71 per cent “know precisely” what they are – 7 per cent more than in November 2018.
Attracted by the concept, many Internet users have adopted this new home assistant. Today, there are 3.2 million users of smart speakers in France, reports Médiamétrie.
Smart speakers are proving not just for young people. They are now attracting an increasing number of people over 50 years old, who now represent 33 per cent of users, compared to 18 per cent in November 2018.
Many French people saw Christmas last year as the perfect opportunity to purchase or gift a smart speaker. Over a quarter (27.7 per cent) of all owners of these devices received theirs as a gift over Christmas.
The trend for this new assistant continues to rise. 18 per cent of Internet users aged 15 years and older plan to purchase one within the next six months. 11 per cent wish to purchase a new smart speaker for a different room in the same home.
Looking up the weather on a smart speaker is still the most frequent use, and this is increasing: 76 per cent of users have already asked their speaker for this information, compared to 60 per cent in 2018. The next most frequent use is streaming music followed by checking the news, accounting for more than half of users.
Listening to podcasts via a voice-controlled speaker is progressing and it is set apart from other audio uses: Over a third of users have already used their speaker to listen to podcasts, which represents a significant increase from the 23 per cent recorded last year.
The quality of interactions between users and their smart speaker is the main source of satisfaction. 85 per cent of users are satisfied with the comprehension of questions asked and the pertinence of the replies given by the speaker.