
Is Voice-Activated Assistant the Next Big Trend in the eCommerce Industry?
How many of you think we’re in the middle of “voice search revolution”?
Probably everyone!
Be it Cortana for Windows, Siri for iPhone or Alexa for Amazon, more and more people are switching to voice search when it comes to surfing the web.
With the emergence of voice-assistants, people around the world have discovered an easier, simpler and more interactive way to search information on the web. Though the technology has been around for quite a while, Google has incurred a significant rise in voice search queries in the recent years and expect the technology to drastically impact the e-commerce realm in coming years.
Why are people turning to voice?
One of the most obvious reasons is convenience. Voice assistants mimic human voice to perform varied tasks. You can save yourself the time and effort that you would put otherwise in typing the entire query in the search box. Also, voice queries are easier to complete and hence allow users to provide more details about what they are looking for, in a shorter span of time. This in turn produces more accurate results, thus improving the user experience.

Considering the degree of convenience that voice search offers to users, it wouldn’t be wrong to state that the future of the technology is on the rise. Moreover, 20% of queries on the Google mobile app and android devices are based on voice search. There are several other studies that indicate how voice search has taken the stress out of “online search”.
Let’s take an insight into a few statistics that indicate the future of voice search and will help you prepare for the revolution.
- By 2020, 50% of all searches will be voice based.
- By 2020, 30% of all searches will be done without a screen.
- 72% of people who own a voice-activated speaker stated that their device is frequently used.
Also, according to a survey conducted amongst people who regularly use voice assistants when shopping online, to get a better idea of overall user experience:
- 71% are satisfied with their voice assistance,
- 52% of consumers cited it is convenient to use voice search rather than typing.
- 48% says it is fun to do tasks hands-free.
- In addition, 81% of people want voice assistants to understand their diction and accent.
Besides, we looked into the statistics of 2017 and found that majority of teens and adults alike have used voice search in one form or another. Further, the drastic increase in voice search queries between 2008 to 2016, clearly implies that voice search has influenced consumer behaviour in the e-commerce industry to a great extent as more and more consumers are embracing voice recognition.
Considering the above-mentioned statistics, we can say, nothing moves as fast as the online marketing world. Every year or month, there seems to be new inventions that are changing the dimension of the e-commerce industry (in a good way) and voice search is one of them. The positive response of the audience towards voice assistance is pushing marketers to integrate voice search functionality into their online stores for the better shopping experiences.
Impact of voice search on e-commerce business
With the rise of voice assistant products like Amazon Echo and Google Home, marketers need to prepare their e-commerce store for voice shopping.
Also, mobile devices play an important role in consumers’ lives as they have become the default medium to access the internet. From socialising on social platforms to searching something on the web, mobiles are used by a vast majority of people on a daily basis. Not only this, 4 out of 5 consumers love to shop through their mobile. This means, in order to survive and create a competitive edge, marketers must provide their customers with seamless mobile experience.
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Here are a few things for marketers to keep in mind while incorporating voice search into their online store.
Tips for marketers
- Understand customer requirements: Just because everyone is getting themselves into voice search doesn’t mean you too have to. Don’t rush, understand what your users actually want. Find out what kind of interaction and experience users expect from voice search. Once you know their needs, it would be easier to determine how you can use and implement voice search to guide users through the desired outcome. Conducting surveys and questionaries amongst your customers will help you understand their needs and expectations and develop voice solutions catering to their needs.
- Use voice search assistant properly: Though voice search has proven its ability to revolutionise the e-commerce realm in the near future, there are marketers who still don’t have any plans to implement voice search into their strategy at this point. However, for those who have already adopted this technology, it is important to understand that voice search not only presents new challenges but also offers new opportunities to acquire and interact with customers. Moreover, if everything goes well, you can easily convert new customers into loyal followers.
- Ensure discoverability: Conduct comprehensive keyword analysis for voice search terms that are usually longer in nature, more localised and often voiced as questions. Create content using the selected keywords to achieve desired results. Also, optimise for local search by actively managing your listings, reviews and optimising your Google My Business profile.
From Google chrome search to smart voice-activated speakers, voice search revolution is the next big trend which will likely rule the e-commerce world if implemented right. At this stage, it is inevitable to prepare your business for this upcoming revolution.
Wrapping up
All the statistics and pointers mentioned above indicate that the voice-based searches are taking over the traditional method of searching and are certain to transform the ecommerce website. Furthermore, to fully utilise voice search technology, it is important to only work with skilled and knowledgeable experts.
At Web Circle, we have a dedicated team of e-Commerce specialists who can advise you on how voice search functionality can enhance your online store’s performance while guiding you through the voice integration and optimization process.