Study: Voice command rising in popularity
83% of people are using voice activated search
Researchers from Hub Research found that most consumers have now used voice activated search commands with their various devices (83%, across all demographics). Younger users skew higher on how often they use voice search. Nearly two-thirds (62%) of those surveyed say voice commands are their default.
For this reason it makes sense for brands and merchants to begin supporting voice search responses within their websites. This kind of support will make it simpler for the consumer to find what they want with a minimum of effort. This, in turn, should increase engagement and potentially customer loyalty.
“Voice command is here to stay, and very likely will end up being the main way we interact with our media choices,” said David Tice, senior consultant to Hub and co-author of the study. “But there are hurdles to overcome – some as simple as getting people to try it, and some as complex as assuaging consumer privacy fears. As we often see with new tech, consumer education is needed throughout the adoption cycle.”
33% of people who aren’t using voice commands say they ‘just don’t think’ about the option
While only about one-fifth of consumers report using voice commands for their televisions, nearly half (42%) say they do have this capability on their current unit. Of those that do have voice options nearly one-third say they ‘just don’t think’ about controlling their TV via their voice.
Those who do use voice to control their televisions say they are satisfied with the interactions (93%), an indicator that as more people adopt the practice user satisfaction is likely to continue to be high. Other interesting findings from the research include:
- 53% say they do have privacy concerns with their digital assistants, down from 59% in the 2019 study
- 38% say they are ‘very concerned’ about this issue.
- 80% of consumers say they’ve used voice, 65% report using voice commands to control their smartphone
More data from Hub’s 2021 Voice Control report can be found here.