Mobile shopping became a trend in eCommerce businesses. This is one of the different changes that arrived in the industry as technology continued to evolve and improve over time. Aside from that, changes such as conversational commerce were also introduced. This is in response to the fact that a lot of households and individuals are using Google Home and Amazon Echo. In fact, according to research, 2.7 million households in the United Kingdom alone use these devices that provide voice assistance.
The characteristics and features of voice recognition technology make voice shopping possible. Google Home, Amazon Echo, and others have the potential to be used to make online shopping more convenient. As it continues to evolve into something more sophisticated, online retailers and businesses can enjoy the advantages and benefits of voice AI.
What is a Voice Assistant?
A Voice assistant is a form of a digital assistant that makes use of voice recognition. The main thing here is the voice. It utilizes speech synthesis and natural language processing to be able to make the service possible. A voice assistant can also be termed as the automated personal assistant, intelligent personal assistant, virtual digital assistant, or smart assistant.
There are different devices that make use of voice assistants. You can use this using your Smartphones and your smart speakers. There are a lot of operating systems and mobile applications that are using voice assistants. Aside from that, this can also be found in certain technology that is used in cars.
There are different predictions about the changes in voice assistance in the next years. In 2015, research about voice assistance predicted that interactions using this technology will become more conversational. This is with the use of smart machines. Voice assistance is all about human interaction with technology. Virtual digital assistants can provide an increase in revenue in different industries with more conversational assistance.
There are different voice assistants provided by different companies and brands. Siri is introduced by Apply and has become the first digital virtual assistant that came with the iPhone 4s in 2011. When the HomePod was introduced in 2018, Siri has also become available on smart speakers. Google Assistance, which was originally known as Google Now, came next and was utilized on the Android platform. After that, other brands came next such as Alexa by Amazon and Cortana by Microsoft.
For Siri, Alexa, and Cortana, the voice assistant is usually being referred to as “she” and not “it”. This is because most of the voice assistants are female-sounding voices. However, you can always manipulate it by changing it to other voices.
3 Ways Voice Assistance Change Consumer Behavior
People who own voice-activated speakers would say that it is easier to talk to virtual assistants as compared to typing their inquiries. As voice shopping becomes a trend, consumer behavior also changes. Here are the 3 ways how voice assistance can change consumer behavior:
- It’s part of the daily routine
Shortly after voice-activated speakers were introduced, it has already become an important part of every individual’s routine. It has become a part of their habits. They use it to check what items they need to buy, what time the next commute will be, and in doing a lot of tasks. Instead of writing things or typing in their notes, life is now easier because of voice assistants. With the help of a virtual assistant that can be easily accessed with the use of Smartphones and other smart devices, daily life has become more convenient.
- It’s at the center of the home
According to a research, 52% of households have their voice-activated speakers in their family room while 25 percent have it in the bedroom and 22% in the kitchen. This only means that voice-activated speakers have invaded households. It has already become the center of homes. Every family member has access and can use it. This increase in availability for all individuals makes it easier to answer questions with the use of virtual assistants.
- It makes life easier
Just like what has been stated, typing has been the norm in terms of searching. This is something that most people find difficult and time-consuming. For a person who is very busy, it is a bit inefficient to still be typing when searching for something. This is where voice-activated speakers would come in as a solution.
In terms of efficiency, all you need to do is to use your voice to be able to reach the voice assistant. This allows you to multitask and to still feel at ease while doing a lot of things. This is also one of the reasons why a lot of people are considering the use of voice-activated speakers at home.
With voice assistance, you can get answers and the information you need immediately. It also allows you to do your daily tasks and go on with your daily routine easily. Aside from that, you will also be able to do things easier using just devices.
The Popularity of Voice Assistants
In terms of online consumption, it is not a secret that Google Home, Amazon Echo, Apple HomePod, and others have been the most common in the market. The best part is that these are not only being used for a single task. It has already invaded different tasks at home. You can make use of this technology to control the furniture you have at home, the fridges, and even your car.
Research has indicated that 74% of the owners are making use of their device one or more times in a day. More than half of the respondents of the same research said that they make use of the device many times every day.
How do Voice Assistants Stack Up?
For now, voice assistance is still continually improving. There are still limitations that the companies have to deal with to be able to create a sophisticated and functional one. For most people, they trust voice assistants in getting the information they need and getting some simple tasks done. The dependency of most people is in this line of needs.
It has to be noted however that there are people who would not use voice assistance in terms of financial transactions. This is one of the things that still have to be considered by other users. This is understandable because voice assistance is still going through a lot of improvements.
Conclusion
Voice assistance is something that has certainly changed the lives of a lot of busy people. With all the demands of the jobs and other responsibilities, it is better to have a device that can help you with a lot of things. This is where all of the help coming from voice assistance would come. Voice shopping is just one of the most important innovations that have been introduced. Just try to imagine being able to shop just using your voice.
With this, you can now do shopping while you are doing other tasks. You do not have to do all the typing when you have a question about a certain store or seller. Whenever you are giving feedback, you also do not need to type it in. Just do it with your voice.
