Voice assistants to revolutionise ecommerce
By Retail Technology | Friday January 26 2018
A new report from Capgeminis Digital Transformation Institute reveals that consumers are set to migrate in significant numbers from purchasing on apps and websites to buying via voice assistants
The report – entitled “Conversational Commerce: Why Consumers Are Embracing Voice Assistants in Their Lives” - surveyed more than 5,000 consumers in the US, UK, France and Germany and found that voice assistants will become a dominant mode of consumer interaction over the next three years, with shoppers who use the technology willing to spend 500% more than they currently do via this mode of interaction.
Almost a quarter (24%) of respondents said they would rather use a voice assistant than a website with this figure rising to 40% in the next three years. Over that same period, close to a third (31%) said they will prefer a voice assistant interaction to visiting a shop or a bank branch, compared to 20% today.
Consumer expenditure
Voice assistant users are currently spending 3% of their total consumer expenditure via voice assistants, but this is expected to increase to 18% in the next three years, reducing share of physical stores (45%) and websites (37%).
While streaming music and seeking information remain the most popular usages for voice assistants today, over a third of respondents (35%) have also used them to buy products such as groceries, homecare and clothes.
Consumers are also highly satisfied by the voice assistant experience with 71% describing themselves as very positive towards it.
Positive experience
The report found that 37% of voice assistant users would share a positive experience with friends and family, and even 28% of current non-users would want to transact more frequently with a brand following a positive experience. This equates to serious potential financial gain, as consumers are willing to spend 5% more with a brand following a good experience with a voice assistant.
Mark Taylor, CEO, digital customer experience practice, at Capgemini said: “Voice assistants will completely revolutionise how brands and consumers interact with each other. What makes voice assistants so exciting is that they are woven into the fabric of our lives, offering a simplicity and richness of interaction that consumers have never experienced before.”
