Why smart speakers have not taken off in China in a big way

Beijing

WHEN it comes to Web businesses, China has created its own versions of a search engine (Baidu), e-commerce platform (Alibaba) and video-streaming service (iQiyi) with resounding success. Yet there's a conspicuous absence of smart speakers such as the Amazon Echo or Google Home.

The market for devices using audio to deliver artificial-intelligence services is so nascent in China that few researchers track sales. Counterpoint Research estimates that two million smart-speaker units will be shipped in China this year, compared with 14 million in the US.