U-S Homes Now More Connected Than Ever

In November 2019, the average U.S. home had 9.2 connected devices, of which, audio devices were the most prevalent category after mobile, connected TV and computers/laptops.

According to Comscore, homes are becoming more and more connected, and over-the-top (OTT) devices and Internet of Things (IoT) devices are a big driver of this.

The company notes its interesting to see that smart speakers see steady usage throughout the day, but most particularly during morning hours, namely 8 a.m. to noon. Both phones and streaming boxes/sticks see much more use during after-work hours in the evening, from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., which is expected as those are hours when the majority of audiences have time to relax.

Going a layer deeper, below Comscore breaks out smart speaker usage habits by weekdays as opposed to weekends. We can see that audiences on weekdays tend to engage more with their devices after work, from 5 p.m. and onwards, and on weekends, they tend to engage more during morning hours.

These insights open doors for savvy marketers to capitalize on the morning usage, such as branded voice commands for morning consumer goods, or weekend usage, such as translating a weekly planning or productivity enhancement app to be more voice command friendly.

Lastly, how do smart speaker owners engage with their devices? Comscore found that the majority of activities on smart speakers are general, non-purchase oriented, such as general questions, updates on weather/traffic/travel/sports, and setting timers and alarms. Only a minority of activities were focused on finding local businesses or ordering food and services.