Amazon’s Lead In the Smart Speaker Market Looks Vulnerable

Although Amazon (AMZN) currently has a clear lead in the smart speaker market, with a ~70% share of the US market according to industry forecaster eMarketer, the company is gearing up to release its 1Q18 earnings just as some say its strong leadership in the smart speaker market may not last long. Researchers at Loup Ventures expect Amazon’s global share of the smart speaker market to be 52% at the end of 2018, making it the world’s top smart speaker vendor. However, Amazon’s share of the global smart speaker market is expected to drop to 37% by the end of 2022, leaving Alphabet’s (GOOGL) Google as the world’s top smart speaker vendor, with a 48% share of the global market.