Voice moves from awareness to application

Voice is evolving from an interface to a distinct channel according to the Voice Consumer Index. Popular applications include search, information, entertainment and travel.

Data on the adoption of voice technologies by consumers is hard to find. It’s an area of the media and technology that organisations such as Ofcom or ONS don’t yet track.

That has changed thanks to the Voice Consumer Index published by Vixen Labs in partnership with the One Voice Network. It’s an in depth look at people’s behaviours around smart speakers and voice on mobile and the web in the Germany, the UK and US.

A third of UK consumers use voice assistants daily. It is easy to forget that the technology is more than a decade old. Apple’s Siri launched in 2011, Google’s Voice Search in 2012, and Amazon’s Alexa in 2013.

“The Voice Consumer Index not only highlights just how many people use the technology in everyday life, but also shows that these users are eager to see its true potential,” said James Poulter, CEO, co-founder, Vixen Labs.

Poulter draws parallels with the early days of search engines and social media to show the opportunity available to brands that utilise this technology effectively, regardless of industry.

“Currently there is a lot of white space for them to move into; the customer base is ready and waiting, but to tap into this new marketing channel, brands need to optimise, create and integrate their products and services with voice technology,” he said. 

Voice has high levels of awareness. 59% of UK consumers use at least one voice assistant, and a further 39% have an awareness of the technology. Usage is spread relatively evenly across age groups.

Privacy is the biggest concern for the public, with four in ten consumers who don’t use voice assistance stating it as the main reason they have not adopted use.

Users need more support from brands and creators, with the majority (76% in the UK) relying on trial and error to find experiences.

Eighty percent of those that use voice to research a new product or service online would visit the product or brand website, indicating that brands need to consider how a consumer is going to find them through voice and then connect via the web.

Aside from controlling music (73% of users) and checking the weather (80% of users), voice assistance is used mostly to ask questions via a search engine highlighting how voice assistants are a new platform for search.

Brands need to optimize their products, locations and content for consumers to find them via voice: 80% of users search via voice for product and service information, and 70% search for local business information.

Despite ongoing travel restrictions, consumers are eager to use voice search to make reservations, check hotel reviews, and research destinations. The top-priority voice-assisted task in the Travel industry is ‘searching for the best price on travel or hotel’, selected by a fifth.

Further information

To download the full report and gain access to industry-specific webinars and podcasts, head to vixenlabs.co/vci-2021.