Understanding Voice Shopping Trends
Have you ever noticed how talking to devices no longer feels strange. Most of us now ask our phones, tablets and even fridges for answers. So it's not surprising that voice shopping is on the rise with more people using their voice assistants to look up and buy things online. People seem to like the simplicity of using their voice to shop.
I think it's safe to say that there are at least 4 main types of shoppers who're into this trend. There are those who use their voice assistant to order food or groceries, some who look for discounts and coupons, others who search for home decor, and people who're just seeking answers about a product or service they might be considering. The way I see it, most reports show that voice search is nearly always growing fairly rapidly because it speeds up the process and gives instant results. Well, when it works correctly anyway.
The good news for businesses is that voice shopping can significantly help increase sales by making it easier for customers to buy things from your store. For instance, asking questions like 'find me a red lipstick under $50' or 'show me vegan food' helps build a sense of urgency and anticipation among buyers as they interact with their device, increasing the possibility of an actual sale happening in real time. Also, since customers usually know what they're looking for when they use this tool, voice shopping makes it simpler to make decisions.
Voice shopping is quickly becoming the go-to method for finding products both online and offline, especially now with the popularity of ChatGPT and other AI chatbots. A study by Juniper Research shows that there will be about 8 billion digital voice assistants in use in 2024 which means businesses would need to keep up so they can apparently tap into new audiences across demographics and age groups.
Key Features to Look for in Voice Search Tools
Can voice search be the answer for online shoppers who want to quickly find and buy things. Judging from the worldâs rising reliance on smart speakers, digital assistants, and voice-enabled apps, it seems like a resounding yes. Whatâs even more interesting is how businesses are scrambling to keep up with this shift in consumer behaviour.
Is it really as simple as letting people speak instead of type. Maybe not - most companies need to overhaul their website and sales tactics to make this happen. Peopleâs shopping habits have changed quite dramatically since the pandemic, which has given rise to platforms that allow sellers to connect with shoppers in a variety of ways. Voice search is probably one of the more interesting ones because it combines AI technology with how we communicate in real life.
Companies looking to use this technology need to rely on tools that can likely accurately interpret what a person says, understands what they mean, and display results that closely match their queries. This means you have to use a tool that can decode accents, tones, and other speech characteristics across multiple languages. It must be able to link speech queries with other technologies such as those involving location, device, and preferences. Some tools might offer more robust privacy features than others so you may want to choose one that aligns with your brand values.
This goes beyond legal compliance - protecting user data builds trust and makes your brand appear more credible. The idea is for people to keep coming back because they had a good experience - your tool needs to be able to deliver on that for them but also give you analytics you can use later.
At the end of the day (or shopping session), shopping should be easier for everyone involved - not some complicated process that makes you wish youâd never started shopping in the first place. Sort of.
Top 5 Tools for Enhancing Voice Search Results
How many times have you asked Alexa about the weather, or where you can get a pizza in your neighbourhood. Now, more than ever, people are using their voices to surf the web, and it isnât just limited to texts or audio files anymore. More and more brands are using this technology to provide a seamless shopping experience for their customers - with just a simple âOkay, Googleâ thrown in. I Reckon now, with the right tools and integrations in place, you too can a bit use voice search to help your customers discover all you have to offer.
Some of these tools include Google Assistant and Amazonâs Alexa that use natural language processing algorithms to analyse the userâs voice search query. What this does is help your voice search-using customer find what theyâre looking for by matching their spoken keywords with relevant results on your website. More or less. Two other tools that might sound a bit more technical but are fairly easy to integrate include schema markups and Answer The Public.
Schema markups is basically code that helps search engines understand your website better by structuring content across your website. And as we all know now - structured content is easy-to-find content. So maybe look at this when considering new ways to spruce up your SEO.
Answer The Public on the other hand helps identify common queries and questions people have asked about certain topics online by scraping Google autocomplete results. It then sorts it into categories for you so you donât have to spend hours figuring out what people want to know about.
And then thereâs Bing Voice Search - another option for people who prefer using Bing over Google for their internet searches. Or even if they just want to explore alternatives. This tool uses AI and NLP technology, much like its two predecessors - Alexa and Google Assistant.
With these tools at hand and a little bit of time on your hands, getting started shouldnât be too much of a challenge - I hope.
Optimizing Your Product Listings for Voice Search
Have you ever asked Alexa or Siri about products on your wishlist. Voice search is changing the way we shop. But if youâre selling online, I reckon it's time to tweak those product listings. Suggests That Optimising for voice search means using language that mirrors how we speak, not just type - well, when typing, buyers might key in âred running shoes.
â When speaking, itâs often âWhere can I find comfortable red running shoes for under $100. â Thatâs because we donât talk like machines - at least not yet. We use questions and full sentences, so product descriptions need to reflect that.
If you can predict what sort of things people will ask about what you're offering, youâll have a better chance of getting your products found. It seems to help if you write natural-sounding answers into your listings - almost as if youâre answering questions from a mate. Voice assistants thrive on providing quick information, and they tend to read out the first answer they find that makes sense.
Itâs a good idea to use clear language that actually sounds like something a person would say out loud. Keep it casual rather than stiff. But maybe donât go overboard.
Too much buzzwordy stuff or repeating keywords can backfire fairly quickly. More doesnât always equal better in this case - clarity should come first. It does take some work but thereâs a lot of reward for businesses who manage to get it right at the moment.
Adding those simple phrases and natural Q&A sections can make voice shopping a breeze for everyone involved - yes, including you.
Case Studies: Success Stories in Voice Shopping
What do those success stories in voice shopping tell us about the ways people are using this technology to shop online. Sometimes, they seem like something out of a futuristic movie, and yet, they're happening right now. Itâs more than the convenience of browsing through virtual shelves by saying what you want - itâs about making the process effortless and enjoyable for customers.
I Gather sure, it might seem all shiny and new right now, but there is a lot going on behind the scenes - and every brand is doing it a little bit differently. From Dominoâs Pizza to Alexa and Walmartâs partnership, there's something unique about these case studies - they sort of make you realise how much thought goes into capturing voice shoppers. Domino's has designed their system so you can order your favourite pizza just by talking to your device, which means they've focused on understanding what customers want.
Alexa has a more complex system, with different commands for different actions - ordering products from Amazon or even tracking packages. More or less. Walmart created an entire 'Walmart Voice Order' feature for Google Assistant that lets customers add items to their cart, compare prices and check out when they're ready.
To make all this work, these brands are investing in new software that makes sure search results are always accurate. Theyâre going out of their way to understand how users speak - which words they use when they ask questions or give commands - and creating systems that work with what users want. There are rarely a bunch of options on the market today that help with better search results, but most successful brands use a mix of them depending on what they need at any given time. Brands like Dominoâs, Alexa and Walmart prove that this can almost never work - that when you pay attention to the customerâs experience and use the right mix of software tools and systems to improve search results, youâre likely to be more successful than most others in capturing voice shoppers.
Maybe it's not always that straightforward but if there's one thing that's clear it's that better search results often mean better success with voice shoppers.
Future of Voice Shopping: What to Expect
What if your next shopping trip - or rather, scroll - could be voice-activated. Not too far ahead into the future, people will be able to add items to their cart and check out only with their voice. It's kind of already happening. You know those Alexa speakers and Siri bots that you can ask to âadd milk to your shopping listâ.
Well, the future of voice shopping is about to be wild (and a bit easier). Itâs not just about searching for shoes or bags but also placing an order.
And, letâs admit it - itâs much easier than typing your needs in the search bar. According to reports, this ânewâ way of shopping is on its way to mainstream popularity and will reach $30 billion in 2024.
What will make this boom successful is probably the accuracy and information available through this technology. Voice bots are nearly always constantly being developed to understand what customers are saying with more accuracy and even find them exactly what they need based on product descriptions and tags. This system has improved over the last five years thanks to data scientists working overtime to give people a better online experience with the help of digital assistants.
But yes, the issue is allegedly that voices differ by region, especially with accents and local languages that might complicate voice search in some cases. Another thing is that there has been a fair bit of criticism of privacy and security measures that some worry might pose as an issue down the line when sensitive information is leaked or used for malicious purposes. But, it appears companies do have safety systems in place to avoid these situations.