What could possibly eat into the time that we spend on our mobile devices? Your digital at-home assistant.
Amazon's echo and the Google Home now reach the homes of more than 50 million Americans (like, more than a quarter of all homes after the holidays).
Since the advent of the first smart device, the long-forgotten Palm Pilot, our adaptation and use of mobile devices has only increased. That is, until the advent of the at-home digital assistant. Whether it's asking Amazon's Alexa what her favorite color is or if you simply want to turn on your favorite iHeart Radio station - she'll do it and we're digging it.
The most important thing about any new consumer technology is that we enjoy using it. If a new technology is going to stick, you'll see it taking priority over other things we'd been doing with that time. Enter this new research...
According to a new accredited Accenture study:
- 66 percent of adults who use an at-home digital assistant use their smart phones less
So, now we know what's sitting around while we talk to Alexa. And what habitats have changed the most?
- 64 percent use phones less for entertainment
- 58 percent shop less from a phone
- 56 percent search less from a phone
Makes sense, as all of these are things that can be done via the digital assistants. What's more is that those who're the earliest adapters to at-home assistants are likely among the most technology driven generally. This means that these people are likely among the heaviest users of mobile devices.
Just as traditional computer time has dramatically dropped in the mobile device era - we're now potentially seeing the next evolution of consumer technology that's powerful enough make us put our phones down. That's not an easy thing to do. It'll be interesting to see how this next evolution plays out.