How marketers can capitalize on the rise of voice technology
TheCOVID-19 pandemic has presented new challenges for brands across all industries. From shifting to digital formats instead of in-person events to ecommerce levels spiking, marketers have had to quickly pivot from their day-to-day operations in order to engage audiences and maintain market share. Despite these challenges, however, the pandemic has also presented new opportunities for brands to interact with audiences and create deeper relationships, such as leveraging voice technology.
While most consumers today are used to interacting with voice assistants, there is ample opportunity for marketers to go beyond creating a skill for Amazon Alexa or action for Google Echo to drive meaningful interactions with their target audiences.
Similar to how companies have shifted to adopt mobile-first strategies in the past, organizations today will begin to shift to a strategy where conversations come first, and for good reason – 60 million adults own at least one smart speaker, and 77% of those owners have used their speakers at least once daily in the last year.
In response, 91% of business decision makers reported that they are making significant investments in voice technology. The COVID-19 pandemic has also revealed a change in how consumers are interacting with technology.
Euromonitor International reported that due to COVID-19, consumers are becoming more comfortable with using AI-enabled home appliances and virtual assistants, in part because they don’t have to touch the surfaces to use them.
These changing habits are pushing us towards a “contactless” world, where the ability to interact with technology verbally replaces the need to physically interact with it. A
s such, marketers need to start thinking about how they can help brands leverage voice technology to interact with consumers across various touchpoints, from smart speakers in the home to voice-activated checkout in stores and beyond.
Due to the pandemic, some tech companies are working to update their offerings to incorporate expanded voice technology as more people continue to work from home.
For example, some platforms now allow employees to set up and confirm meetings by voice, which is helping consumers become comfortable using voice technology.
As more people use voice technology for work, marketers should expect that they’ll want to use voice technology in their personal lives, offering an opportunity for companies to fill the gaps in their home, and expand the technology into brick and mortar store locations as states continue to re-open.
For example, consumers can currently use voice assistants to add items to a shopping list, so companies may consider working on a strategy now that allows consumers to pay for items by voice as more people return to in-store shopping.
By anticipating consumers’ demands in a post-COVID world, marketers can ensure they set their companies up for success.
As tech companies continue making investments in voice technology, brands in other industries can replicate this for their offerings.
