Ready for take-off? From e-commerce to v-commerce!

Did you know that 20% of all searches on Google are voice searches ? This percentage is set to grow considerably in the coming months.

Currently, 600 million people worldwide use a voice assistant at least once a week. And unlike Belgium or France, where it is only just beginning to develop, voice commerce is already well established in some countries. This is particularly the case in the USA. For example, it is quite possible and common for Americans to order and pay for a pizza with their voice.

In a few months or years, we will be using voice commands in our daily lives, for entertainment (“Hey Google, play Hotel California”) but also for online shopping (“Hey Google, show me the latest trainers”), ordering in restaurants, and even in our day-to-day tasks at work.

The benefits of v-commerce for the consumer

The main reasons why consumers are willing to adopt voice commerce are the simplicity of hands-free use, the speed and the novelty it provides. The user really feels that the technology is working for them.

Being able to place an order by voice makes the customer’s experience easier, more pleasant and more intuitive. This means that they can buy a brand’s products or services while doing something else, such as sports, cleaning, driving or taking a bath. Voice search, therefore, integrates commerce into our daily routine.

The demand for voice assistants is already very high. Consumers are buying hardware and adopting voice interaction much faster than most companies are integrating this new trend into their marketing strategies.

The impact of voice commerce on brands

In terms of Google search engine optimisation (SEO), the impact is already apparent. The voice assistant returns only one result when a voice search is performed, and this result is called position zero. It is already difficult to appear on the first page of Google results; imagine if there is only one result! But that’s what’s going to happen, and Google is already experimenting with this zero position at the moment. Therefore, it is necessary to adapt your site and its content to these new techniques if you don’t want to miss out on numerous prospects.

In tangible terms, voice queries are usually complete sentences expressed in natural language, as if you were talking to a person. They, therefore, tend to be longer than written queries. They are often formulated as questions and can be linked to a specific location through geolocation.

Voice devices will transform the way brands relate to their customers. Customers will talk to their voice assistant as if they were talking to an advisor in a shop.

How can you prepare for this?

If you want to position yourself as an early adopter of v-commerce , beyond the SEO to adapt, we recommend you develop a voice application. The advantage is that this market is not yet very competitive, but it is in a phase of exponential take-off! Furthermore, this type of application is accessible to all sizes of companies.

The good news is that these voice applications do not need to be downloaded by the user to be used. Once your app is published, anyone with a device supporting a voice assistant like Google’s will only have to ask to speak to your brand to access your app.

E-commerce is going in a new direction, towards increasingly intuitive and affordable commerce at any time of the day. This innovative technology represents a real pivot for digital marketing!

If you want to develop a voice application and be one of the early adopters , contact us !