It is estimated that by 2020, more than 50% of the searches will be done without keyboards or screens. Voice assistant technology is transforming the face of e-commerce. Through voice tech, businesses have made it conceivable for clients to accumulate information, make purchases at any time by talking to devices in a natural, human-like way. It has made life easier for customers as well as enterprises. It helps improve customer service and provides a more personalized, hassle-free shopping experience to consumers. Many of the world’s largest technology companies, such as Microsoft, Alibaba, Apple, Amazon, and Google, are investing heavily in this field.

The development of Popular Voice Search Assistants like Siri, Alexa, and others is a great move towards e-commerce. Apple’s Siri is one of the pioneers which performed basic useful commands like voice commerce transactions, buying tickets for a movie, or making reservations for dinner. Smart devices owners are utilizing their Alexas, Siris, or Cortanas in our rising voice-first world.

But why is voice-based interfacing so famous?

Using voice assistant liberates and increases productivity to a degree not conceivable with mechanical interfacing alone. It is so comforting to sit at home and command “Alexa, order a burger for me from KFC”. This six-word command replaces the troublesome mechanical and cognitive steps of requesting through the internet or phone.

Frictionless Searches

There are various benefits of voice technology. From browsing products, making purchases to communicating with the customer services team, voice tech offers these and more to customers. Because of the already existing home-based voice assistants, people have become more confident with regard to voice-activated search. Moreover, voice search brings convenience to customers and also gives retailers the opportunity to sell more and know more about purchases.

Checkouts

Check-out free shopping is already taking place on many platforms. Voice is now used as a verification tool for online payments, putting e-commerce a step ahead and making theft almost impossible. Therefore, using voice biometrics for customer identity is more secure than any other method. It is beneficial for both retailers and for customers since they become least receptive to any type of frauds and help retailers in the compliance of regulations.

Customer Services

While we cannot neglect the worth of human communication, there are good reasons to use voice tech in customer services and help centers. Voice technology helps strengthen the efficiency of your e-commerce store by helping you automate multiple processes which save money as well as makes the procedure frictionless for the customers. Personal identification gets much quicker without the requirement of passwords or security questions, which implies that calls won’t take much longer and call waiting times will become. It not only brings ease to the consumers to get through in the first place, but it is also faster, which ultimately contributes to improved customer service.

The Ultimate Personalization

With the use of substantial accuracy, natural language-driven algorithms, automated voice recognition tools; retailers make learned judgments about the age, gender, location and even the mood of the speaker. All the data collected from the voice tech tools is highly valuable since you get to identify the customer without barely knowing any previous purchase histories or getting access to digital footprint data. Through this, a shopping journey is immediately tailored for each customer, even if they are new ones.
Besides, businesses leading to better conversion and retention rates. It also helps in delivering the most relevant and enhanced user experiences.
Voice technology has presented a unique opportunity for retail and e-commerce and it is a great chance of improved reputation and revenue. It will put the businesses at the forefront and will set to take the most benefit as they start to embed voice technology into their e-commerce stores.

With all this, businesses get to know their customers better through the data collected by the smart voice recognition tools and therefore they are able to create an immensely convenient and personalized shopping experience for every customer.

Voice Technology in Practice

To improve customer experience, some well-known brands are already using voice technology.

Voice Tech in Leisure and Hospitality

Hilton joined with IBM have assigned a digital concierge. ‘Connie”, who answers client questions like “Where is the Elm conference room?” or “What time does the buffet start?” At the Henna na Lodging in Nagasaki, Japan, you’ll see a front desk where you’ll find robots instead of humans. These robots use facial expressions and voice recognizing software to help you with check-in. They can translate languages and have wide information on the area. The travel portal, Kayak, also employs voice-enabled, natural language technology to assist travelers in finding their next trip. Leisure businesses are built on pampering the clients with round-the-clock facilities. You won’t even have to move a little, not even swiping for obtaining data on your phone. Tourists build a very personalized experience, all the way down to obtaining data in your neighborhood language, to finding the closest family-friendly eatery in your budget.

Voice Tech Smart Homes

Whirlpool has collaborated with Alexa for voice-activated machines. The tech smartness has reached to the extent where you can ask your oven how long it will take and it is going to remind you that your cake is ready. Amazon is in a race with Google Assistant and Apple Siri-powered Homepod to supply the finest voice-controlled smartphone. At this point, there are more particular players — like Canada’s Ecobee vs Settle. The Japanese company Gatebox has made a holographic anime character who can identify voice commands and can do almost everything like she will tell you that your bedtime is over, remind you to bring an umbrella because it is raining outside, as well as set your home temperature and lighting levels. Till now, voice technology and IoT have guaranteed a unique level of comfort and customization.

Voice Tech in Banking

Let’s ditch the method of providing PINS and being pushed from one department to another. The Spanish bank Santanders app offers you the access to log in and give a quick voice command: “Pay Paulo $100 tomorrow.” This app can execute your command. You’ll be able to inquire for your most recent transactions and also report a misplaced card. Moreover, “Nina” who is a smart virtual assistant of the Swedish retail bank Swedbank, can answer site questions/queries in a conversational way. Apart from these examples, many banks are also utilizing voice biometrics to approve your identity once you call. Where your voice becomes your password, which eliminates the hassle clients encounter when they have to verify their information and explain their concerns to customer representatives.

You don’t need to type or scroll through the sites. Just call out to your digital assistants and ask for what you want.

Last Words

It is not surprising that brands are now using and investing in voice technology. According to a study, 30% of business executives are already using this technology. All the smart IoT devices will function through voice technology instead of screens. Therefore, voice technology is bound to be the next big thing in the realm of technology.