Why type when you can talk? The emergence of voice assistants like Siri, Google Assistant and Alexa presents an opportunity for e-commerce businesses. Now you can call your digital assistant and ask it to search for and purchase an item, without ever lifting a finger.
Almost half of all buyers In the United States, ease of use is the primary motivation for using voice shopping technology. And despite the upfront costs, online retailers are increasingly adopting voice shopping to increase sales and increase customer engagement.
Here’s how to take advantage of voice shopping and reap the benefits of this advanced technology for your business.
What is voice shopping?
Voice shopping involves using voice recognition technology to purchase products online. It is a type of voice commerce in which a customer uses verbal commands to interact with digital assistants such as Apple’s Siri, Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa. Voice shopping relies on smartphones or smart speakers, such as Amazon Echo or Google Home. These devices use voice recognition technology to interpret verbal requests and complete online shopping tasks.
From the customer’s perspective, voice shopping can be as simple as activating the voice assistant with a wake word, such as “Hey Siri,” “Hey Alexa” or “Hey Google,” then asking questions on specific products or categories. Voice shopping can improve the immediacy and convenience of home shopping, especially for routine purchases and orders where the customer does not have to research a product before purchasing it.
Many online retailers now have interfaces that allow for simplified voice navigation, confirmation of buyer identity, and payment.
An example of voice shopping
Let’s say you’re at home doing the dishes and you remember that you need to buy new workout shoes. Since your hands are wet, you can ask your Google Assistant to “Find me the best deal on running shoes.” The assistant can provide recommendations or ask follow-up questions to narrow the search, such as questions about brand preferences or specific features.
Once you choose a pair of shoes, the assistant adds them to a virtual shopping cart until you ask it to complete your purchase. After confirming your payment method and delivery address (which can be predefined in your account settings), the voice assistant confirms your purchase and can provide details such as expected delivery time.
Benefits of voice shopping
Voice shopping offers several benefits to e-commerce brands and retailers, including:
Speed
Speed is one of the biggest benefits of the voice shopping customer experience. A simple command to a voice assistant can bring up a list of relevant products and, within moments, the customer can complete a purchase. Most voice assistants allow customers to store their credit card and shipping information in their account for a smooth payment flow.
Convenience
Many consumers already have the technology to make voice purchases in their pockets: most smartphones have built-in voice recognition technology. This means that voice assistant users can browse and purchase items from home, work, or even while traveling. You can simplify the checkout experience for loyal shoppers by using stored customer data.
Brand awareness
With voice shopping, it is possible to use voice search optimization. By using natural language and long-tail keywords (longer, more specific phrases) across your web and mobile platforms, you can improve your brand’s SEO ranking in common voice shopping queries, which can lead to to greater brand visibility and increased sales.
The challenges of voice shopping
Despite its benefits, voice shopping is a technology that can pose challenges for e-commerce retailers, including:
Initial costs
Voice shopping involves costs for retailers. An online store must have access to AI e-commerce technology capable of handling natural language processing and a web platform capable of facilitating streamlined and secure voice shopping.
Security and privacy concerns
Potential customers may be hesitant to adopt voice commerce due to fears surrounding verbal purchases. Shoppers may need a certain level of trust to share their financial information (and potentially a unique voiceprint) when interacting with an online retailer.
A study found that 31% of voice buyers in the United States reported general privacy concerns regarding voice purchases, and 27% of online shoppers expressed a negative opinion about the security of their financial data. Complying with current privacy regulations and taking steps to secure personal data can help build customer trust.
Technological limits
For voice shopping to work optimally, the technology on both ends must understand complex voice commands or ensure accurate product matches. Currently, language understanding and speech recognition technology is not perfect. Voice recognition software may misunderstand or be unable to decipher a command. If a consumer makes a request that is misunderstood by their digital assistant, they will not get the information or product they want, which could lead to frustration and lack of future use.
The future of voice shopping
Voice shopping sales are on an upward trend and are expected to gain popularity. In 2021, almost 60% of online consumers use voice assistant technology daily or weekly, and the global value of transactions using voice technology was $4.6 billion. The total value of voice-assisted purchases is expected to reach $164 billion by 2025.
Voice Shopping FAQ
How can you optimize your Shopify store for voice search?
You can optimize your Shopify store for voice search by using a website evaluator to assess site performance and ensure fast site speed, writing natural language product descriptions, and following general SEO tips to ensure that your site ranks well in search engines and is easy to use. so voice assistants can find them.
What is an example of voice commerce?
Imagine picking up your remote and finding that the batteries are dead. You call the voice assistant on your smartphone and ask it to buy a triple-A battery pack. It confirms the selection of the correct product, then quickly completes the ordering process. Presto, your purchase is complete.
Which retailers use voice commerce?
Early adopters of voice commerce tend to be large companies like Amazon, Walmart, and Starbucks.
Is voice shopping the future of the shopping experience?
Future projections indicate that voice shopping will likely be a major part of the online shopping experience. It is unclear whether voice shopping will gain greater market share than traditional forms of shopping, such as in-person retail.