Voice Report from Answers to Action: Customer Adoption of Voice Technology and Digital Assistants Table of Contents
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
2019 Voice report From answers to action: customer adoption of voice technology and digital assistants Table of Contents Introduction . 3 01 Usage . 6 02 Adoption . 14 03 Trust . .20 04 Functionality . 26 05 Shopping . .30 About the Authors . .38 1 The age of touch as the primary user interface is giving way to a new age of voice and digital assistants . Voice Report 2019 2 Introduction When it comes to search, everything is changing . What started out as blue links on a search There is an even bigger disruption on the engine results page (SERP) is currently horizon: Conversational AI and its impact transforming into something even larger on consumer behavior . Conversational AI in scale and deeper in breadth . The blue simplifies computer usage like never before links are disappearing . Keywords are as it flips the user dynamic – instead of disappearing . Keyboards are disappearing . humans learning computer code, What will be left? computers are learning our language . At the same time, conversational AI amplifies The age of touch as the primary user human ability, giving us access to our own interface is giving way to a new age of personal clouds . We are just beginning to voice and digital assistants . Consumers tap into this power through mobile phones can now engage with search engines on a and smart speakers . According to Nielsen, deeper level and in more meaningful ways . almost 25% of US households now own The new Q & A is ‘question and action’ a smart speaker and almost half of those as search moves from a place of answers households own multiple smart speakers1 . to a state of action . Consumers are using voice search to shop, get directions, make reservations, book travel, etc . But voice itself is not the next big disruptor . 1. The Verge, https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2018/9/30/17914022/smart-speaker- 3 40-percent-us-households-nielsen-amazon-echo-google-home-apple-homepod, 2018 Introduction Search is moving from a place of answers to a state of action . Facebook introduced their new ‘Portal’- yet another example of voice-first devices. As the numbers grow, conversational AI Finally, these assistants will offer universal will continue to weave itself into the world discovery that spans both the physical and around us . How? By surrounding us with digital worlds . Whether you are looking for an adaptive intelligence that knows us and a file that you created yesterday or how works to fulfill our individual needs. From much milk you have left in the fridge, your scheduling our next dental appointment to assistant has the answer (with help from controlling our thermostat to ordering our IoT and visual search) . It’s helpful to think of favorite pizza, search engines are morphing digital assistants, chatbots, and other forms into personal digital assistants such as of intelligent agents as invisible bridges, Cortana, Siri, Google Assistant and Alexa . connecting us with a cloud-based knowledge graph. They are ready to fulfill user intent But digital assistants are not limited to our from the smallest to largest of levels: phones and smart speakers . Rather, they are multi-device and multi-sensory . We will jump from talking to our phone to skyping on our car windshield to viewing our smart “Hey Cortana, how do I boil an egg?” speaker screen without losing the logic of a session . Devices take on a secondary role in “ Hey Cortana, record the next this new phase of search as we engage with season of The Voice.” a singular digital assistant that accompanies “ Hey Cortana, check my hair us throughout our daily tasks . We will switch stylist’s schedule next week and between talking, viewing, swiping, etc . Face book an afternoon appointment.” recognition will also play a unifying role as users move across devices . Voice Report 2019 4 Introduction “ Your brand needs to have its own agents that can talk directly to customers and to converse across multiple digital assistants ”. –Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO 5 Introduction In time, digital assistants will play a more This report analyzes the latest voice proactive role in our lives, automatically disruption and the subsequent larger scheduling a repair on a broken water heater disruption looming ahead, conversational or suggesting tickets as soon as our favorite AI. This report is based on the findings band releases tour dates or reordering from two separate online consumer focused household items which are running low . survey’s. The March – June 2018 survey was conducted by Microsoft Market Intelligence Digital assistants will drive a significant shift to gain a better understanding of the digital in consumer mindset and behavior . Microsoft assistant usage and adoption . The Market CEO Satya Nadella is preparing marketers, Intelligence survey was conducted online with ‘Your brand needs to have its own agents over 2,000 global responses representing the that can talk directly to customers and to US, UK, CA, AU and IN. Building off of the converse across multiple digital assistants ’. findings from the Market Intelligence survey But simply building new technologies is not we used online research tool AskSuzy to enough . Retailers must then market their new engage with 5000 US consumers in February skills, chatbots, mobile apps, in-store pickup, 2019 to gain a better understanding of the etc . Just as retailers of the 90s had to guide usage of how adoption of technology has shoppers to their website, today’s retailers has shifted and how adoption of shopping will also have to educate us on new ways functionality has evolved . to shop and transact . Key Voice Stats 1 . 69% of respondents have used 4 . Consumers will not divulge PII a digital assistant . (personally identifiable information) without a substantial reward . 2 . 75% of household will have at least one smart speaker by 2020 . 5 . Over half of consumers expect their digital assistants to help make retail 3 . 41% of users reported purchases within the next 5 years . concerns around trust, privacy and passive listening . Voice Report 2019 6 01 Usage Digital assistants have begun embedding themselves in consumer lives . 7 Usage Voice assistance is becoming the norm 72% of survey respondents reported using a digital assistant . The majority of survey respondents Almost one third of respondents reported reported using voice search through a using of voice commands through IoT and digital assistant (72%), and over half of connected devices such as TVs (36%) as respondents have used voice skills and well as connected cars (31% ). actions with their smart voice search through a smart home speaker . How are people engaging with voice? Voice search through a personal digital assistant (Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant, Cortana) 72% Voice search through a smart home speaker 35% Voice commands to a TV or smart home device that is not a smart home speaker 36% Voice commands to a vehicle 31% Voice skills or actions through a smart home speaker, i .e . “Hey Cortana, play “Morning Edition” 52% Voice Report 2019 8 Usage The most popular digital assistant may be different than you think. Although the Amazon Alexa is widely The popularity of Siri and Google is likely known and advertised in the US, it is due to the sheer volume of mobile phones perhaps surprisingly not the most popular (approximately 250M in US2) when compared one . Apple’s Siri and the Google Assistant with smart speakers (approximately 50M+ in tied for first place with 36% of respondents US3) . Both Siri and Google are more aligned having used each . Alexa came in 3rd with with mobile phones while Alexa is more 25% of respondents reporting usage, closely closely aligned with smart speakers (though followed by Cortana with 19% . Siri and Google are starting to infiltrate smart speakers, while Alexa can also be used on mobile phones) . Which digital assistants are people using? 19% 36% 36% 25% 1% Microsoft Apple’s Google Amazon Other Cortana Siri Assistant Alexa 2. Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/201182/forecast-of- smartphone-users-in-the-us/, 2018 3. NPR and Edison Research, https://www.nationalpublicmedia.com/ 9 smart-audio-report/latest-report/, 2018 Usage It is now officially more common than not to have used voice search and voice commands through a digital assistant Voice Report 2019 10 Usage Across 2018, we found smart home speaker ownership to rise 22% Of course, even though smartphones In 2018, we found that 23% of respondents currently outnumber smart speakers, this currently own a smart speaker with another could also change fast as smart speakers 30% planning to purchase . In our research head mainstream . Many reports now show in January 2019, we found that 45% of smart speakers ‘eating’ mobile as consumers respondents now currently own a smart find themselves putting down their phones speaker with an additional 26% planning to engage more with their smart speaker . to purchase one soon . Across 2018 we found the percentage of respondents who own a smart home speaker to increase 22 percentage points . How many people own smart speakers? 2018 23% Own 2019 45% Planning 2018 30% to purchase 2019 26% No plans 2018 47% to purchase 2019 29% 11 Usage Smart speakers are a hot market Of the 30% planning to purchase, 73% of them want to do so in the next six months, indicating some urgency, and a hot market . This makes sense as smart speakers come down in price and become less of a luxury item . For instance, the Amazon Echo is now available for $59 . Which smart speaker do respondents want to buy? Most of them (94%) are at least considering the Google Home or Google Home Mini . Another 38% are interested in the Echo . Another interesting trend in the early 2019 survey results is that 26% of respondents are now considering purchasing a smart home speaker brand such as the JBL Link and Sonos One, or Harmon Kardon Invoke .