Smart Speaker

Voice in local government – outlining the market

SDS have created a project group to explore the viability of voice technology within local government. The first phase of the project focused on discovery research, outlining current market trends, uses and demographics.

Smart speaker adoption has rapidly increased in recent years.

In June 2019, it was estimated that 1 in 5 households own a smart speaker. This presents an opportunity for public authorities wanting to improve the accessibility of their services and reduce the cost-to-serve.

Smart speaker ownership is spread relatively evenly through age groups.

Whilst it is evident that more younger consumers own smart speakers, ownership rates in the 45-60 and over 60 age groups are still high at 24% and 18%. Again, this provides local government an opportunity to reach a mass audience with variations in age.

Food for thought for local councils

A consumer drive for speed, efficiency and convenience has evolved technology to reduce friction and barriers in experiences. Moreover, a preference shift towards voice user interfaces and the adoption of artificial intelligence in our everyday lives has increased user confidence and comfort using new devices, especially for less competent technology users.

Our discovery research into the smart speaker market shows a competitive adoption trend from a demographically wide audience, which provides food for thought for local councils.

infographic about the rise of voice assistants

Discovery research report 

If you would like to access our full research report including a selection of private and public sector case studies please get in contact.