7.53 lakh smart speakers shipped in India in 2018: IDC

About 7.53 lakh units of smart speakers were shipped in India in 2018 with Amazon accounting for 59 per cent market share, according to research firm IDC.

IDC defines smart speakers as speakers embedded with a smart assistant directly in the speaker itself.

As per the IDC report, Google - which launched its smart speakers (Google Home) in India in second quarter of 2018 - ranked second in the tally with 39 per cent share of the units shipped in 2018.

Smart speakers were first introduced to the Indian market in the fourth quarter of 2017 when Amazon launched its Echo range of devices in the country, IDC said adding that since then, more than half a dozen companies have launched their devices in this category.

"Though the smart speaker is a relatively young product in India, the integration of voice assistants such as Alexa and Google Assistant in smart devices is gaining immense popularity in the country," IDC India Associate Research Manager (Client Devices) Jaipal Singh said.

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