Digital Innovation
1 min read

How will voice technology change consumer behaviour?

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According to Kantar Worldpanel, 2.7m households in the UK currently own an Amazon Echo or Google Home device. Across the pond, usage is also on the up, with 55% of US households predicted to own one of these devices by 2020.

We’ve already seen Alexa users get preferential treatment on Amazon Prime Day, showing that the brand is clearly intent on driving adoption and loyalty to the technology.

So, what are the opportunities for brands, publishers and consumers alike? Here’s more on the changes presented by voice technology now and in the near future.

Most popular skills are utility-based

So, what are consumers using voice technology for exactly? According to Google, the majority of users turn to devices like Amazon Echo in order to multitask. For example, asking Alexa to play music while they’re busy doing something else like cooking or cleaning. Another prominent type of user behaviour is to instantly get answers and information – again without the need to use their hands or focus on a single task at one time.

Many brands have responded to this by creating a service or skill that solves a specific need. For example, Domino’s Pizza has developed a skill so that customers can order pizza via voice. PayPal has also created one which offers voice-activated payments, and Whirlpool’s skill responds to voice requests to adjust settings on its appliances.

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