Voice-Driven Shopping Experiences On The Rise

The experts of the leading voice over provider Voices predict a shift to a voice-first world.

The spoken word will set brands apart in 2021, making a remote, digital world more human as the customer journey becomes touchless and thereby less tangible, researchers at Voices report.

Touchless Shopping Experiences

Voices’ 2021 Annual Trends Report predicts that voice technology will be adopted at a faster rate than ever before. Businesses required to follow new health and safety policies will explore touchless technological solutions as they serve customers in a socially-distanced world.

Whereas voice search offers consumers a hands-free way to access local business information in their cars, voice-driven applications will go further to connect a brand and their audience in a more natural, conversational way – online and offline.

David Ciccarelli, founder and Chief Executive Officer at Voices says: “A hybrid of human and synthetic voices will empower the customer journey, with voice interaction being enabled by voice-based conversational technology.”

Retail needs to create innovative digital experiences and reinvent traditional shopping experiences for the post-pandemic world. The market researchers at Voices recommend to make use of the spoken word as the most powerful format to deliver information and elicit emotion. The voice over experts announce voice branding as the unique identifier and main digital expression of a brand in a touchless world.

Voice Branding Touchpoints

Stats show that the abrupt shift to quarantine and social distancing measures in 2020 accelerated the rise of e-commerce by about five years. E-commerce is driven by digital advertising, and the researchers at Voices identified a growing digital audio advertising space that is untapped.

The consumption of audio and voice-first content is booming right now. “Weaving your way into the channels through which your audience is engaging with content all day long is a beneficial way to communicate with your target demographic,” says Ciccarelli and provides an example: “Currently, there are over 18.5 million episodes of podcasts available, and those numbers are climbing daily. We recommend making use of these spaces right now.”

For the production of voice-based digital ads and the implementation of voice technology, the experts at Voices recommend that companies conduct a sonic branding audit and then work to create a consistent and recognizable voice throughout all media and touchpoints in order to stand out.  

About Voices

Voices is the largest marketplace for audio and voice over products and services in the world, with over one million members. Since 2005, the biggest and most beloved brands have entrusted Voices to help them find their voice. Headquartered in London, Canada, Voices helps service clients and voice talent in over 160 countries.