In the course of a single year, the use of voice-activated digital assistants for the home – tech like Alexa, Google Home, or Cortana – has increased 128.9%. This means 35.6 million American households already have a digital assistant in their home. Researchers expect this rapid adoption rate to continue, especially given the significant amount device makers have invested in digital and television advertising.

2 Factors Affecting Digital Assistant Adoption Rates

The 35.6 million American households that already using digital assistants in the home are early adopters, who are very comfortable with technology and are willing to spend a little bit of money to try new gadgets out. Alexa devices, for example, can cost between $50 and $200. Industry experts predict that as costs come down and device functionality increases, even more families will choose to have digital assistants in their home.Digital assistants are activated by someone speaking to them. All searches are voice searches. Millennials are the generation most likely to conduct a voice search, with digital assistant use most popular among people aged 25-34.

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Amazon Controls 70% of The Digital Assistant Market

According to this eMarketer article Amazon is far and away the most dominant player in the digital assistant field. They control 70.6% of the market. Google Home is a very distant second, with 23.8%, and all other players combined making up the rest.

Paid Voice Search: The Next Big Thing?

Business Insider reports that Amazon may be introducing a paid search feature. This is important to keep an eye on, especially if Amazon successful monetizes voice search, other players, most especially Google, will follow suit. Right now, the logistics of how voice search advertising, including how sponsored ads will be differentiated from other search results, is still being worked out. We’ll keep you posted on the latest developments as they become available.