Amazon’s Ring takes global lead in home security cams

In 2020, Amazon’s Ring leveraged its brand strength and expanded camera portfolio to double its market share, leapfrogging Arlo and Wyze, and establish itself for the first time as the world’s largest smart home security camera brand, according to Strategy Analytics’ report, “Smart Home Surveillance Camera Global Market Shares – April 2021.”

Strategy Analytics reports the top five home security camera brands globally as of the end of 2020 are, in order: Ring, Arlo, Wyze, Google Nest, and interactive security platform provider Alarm.com. These five companies combined to ship more than 12 million cameras, or about 30 percent, of the 42.5 million cameras Strategy Analytics estimates shipped to consumers globally in 2020. Ring is one of the few Amazon consumer hardware products formally represented in South Africa.

The report assesses the market for consumer smart home security cameras, excluding video doorbells and professional surveillance systems. Tier 2 companies D-Link, Eufy, EZVIZ, Kasa, and Resideo rounded out the top 10. Tier 3 companies ADT, SimpliSafe, and Vivint showcased how the US interactive security market shapes global consumer smart home camera market shares.

Prior to 2019, big consumer brands like Arlo and Nest, and US interactive security companies ADT and Vivint were entrenched in the top five. However, the popularity of video monitoring as a self-monitored, subscription-free service and lower-priced-yet-feature-packed offerings from dozens of smaller camera brands have altered the global camera landscape.

Jack Narcotta, senior industry analyst in Strategy Analytics’ smart home strategies advisory service, says: “Ring’s most important addition in the year of the pandemic wasn’t a market-making device, rather it was an aggressive-yet-calculated expansion of its camera portfolio. Ring was no doubt hearing from millions of Ring video doorbell users that they wanted to stay loyal to Ring as they considered purchasing indoor/outdoor cameras. In 2020 it expanded the size of its camera portfolio, with special attention paid to spotlight-equipped outdoor cameras as well as indoor cameras. Ring’s brand strength in video doorbells has had a huge positive halo effect on its camera business.”

Bill Ablondi, director of Strategy Analytics’ smart home strategies advisory service, says: “Ring’s moves had a ripple effect on the other largest retail-oriented camera brands, particularly Arlo which reported a year-to-year decline in camera units shipped in 2020 while its main competitors Ring, Nest, and Wyze all surged ahead. In the interactive security market, many providers are doubling down on video monitoring capabilities as a cornerstone of their value proposition to consumers. Alarm.com, ADT, and Vivint have excelled at capitalizing on demand for video security from their millions of existing subscribers, and Alarm.com and Vivint have excelled at boosting camera attach rates for new subscribers.”