Voice search, also referred to as voice-enabled search, has steadily gained traction in the hearts and minds of consumers ever since Bell Laboratories developed "Audrey"— the world's first speech recognition platform—way back in 1952.
In the years and decades since the technology and commercial applications powering voice have become more sophisticated, and phrases like "Hey Siri," "Hey Alexa," "Ok Google," "Hey Cortana," and "Hi Bixby" are fast becoming the preferred way for people to learn more about the world around them.
Worldwide, consumers are communicating with digital devices and completing the types of search functions that used to be limited to keyboards. Browsing sessions that begin on smartphones shift to tablets, and moving from voice-powered searches and back to keyboard typed queries are quickly becoming the norm.
In 2020, global smart speaker sales reached an all-time high, with more than 150 million units sold in the year. Though as soon as 2024, when sales are projected to reach more than $30 billion per year—smart speakers like the Amazon Echo, Google Home, and Sonos One will become the number one consumer electronic product in the world.
This radically changes how consumers interact with brands online and creates untapped marketing potential for ecommerce brands that can capitalize on the unique opportunities present in the current business environment.
Currently, though voice search-driven revenues account for $20+ billion in consumer spending, that value is expected to climb to $40 billion as soon as 2022. A large part of that growth is driven by the fact that consumers are so satisfied with their experience using the technology.
65% of all Amazon Echo and Google Home users can't imagine ever living without voice search technology at the center of their lives. In addition, the overwhelming majority of consumers who adopt voice search use it every day, meaning your brand has the potential to activate new customers daily, simply by providing the ability for them to use their voices to search for your brand, products, and services online.
Capitalize on the Opportunity: Use Voice Search to Activate Your Audience
Right now, your customers are completing voice searches online, interacting with brands using smart speakers, and becoming more and more comfortable speaking directly to their digital devices whenever they have a question about anything relevant to their interests.
By deploying a voice search platform, your ecommerce brand has the opportunity to meet your audience where they are, using the technology they love that is quickly becoming the number one way that people search online.
Global ecommerce sales have already topped more than $4.2 trillion in 2021, a 38% increase from last year, the year with the previous highest ever online sales revenues recorded. Whether you are already a market-leading brand or desperately hoping to turn a profit online, this is the perfect moment to use the explosive growth of voice search to reach your business development goals.
Keep these voice search content marketing best practices in mind to engage your target audience and capitalize on the growth of this technology:
- Voice searches are much longer than traditional text-based search queries. It's ideal to optimize your online content to feature the most relevant long-tail keywords and search phrases connected to your niche and market.
- Voice searches are heavily focused on understanding more about what is available to consumers locally. 46% of voice search users use the technology to learn more about local businesses on a daily basis. Be sure your Google business listing, meta descriptions, and anchor text is current to take advantage.
- Voice searches are very likely to be based on the questions your customers are already asking. Use the phone calls, emails, and messages your brand receives to add relevant customer questions and answers from your brand to your site to improve conversion rate and search engine optimization.
- Voice search data generates a wealth of insights about your marketing efforts. Explore your voice search data to learn which customers and groups of customers are the best fit for targeted marketing and remarketing campaigns.
Don't Miss Your Chance to Use Voice Search to Help Your Ecommerce Brand Grow
2021 is well on the way towards being the most profitable year for ecommerce brands ever recorded. All around the world, people are online shopping for products and services. Every day, new customers turn to voice search and move away from typing out their daily search queries online.
Right now is the perfect time for your online brand to deploy voice search functions. Download our case study below to learn how Blutag set up Modcup Coffee’s Alexa skill in less than 3 weeks!
