We’re moving to a voice-first world. Recently Voicebot published a report indicating that voice assistant users on smartphones rose 11 percent between 2018-2020; and daily active users rose 23 percent. Meanwhile, Google recently unveiled new features that will make its Google Assistant voice assistant a more pervasive part of our everyday lives. The news underscores how voice adoption is increasing partly because major players such as Google are creating products that make it easier to use voice.
The News
- On November 5, Voicebot published its second bi-annual report on voice assistant adoption on smartphones among U.S. adults. Smartphone voice assistant use grew at a faster rate than overall smartphone ownership. The use of voice assistant on smartphones rose from 51.5 percent in the fall of 2018 to 56.4 percent today.
- Smart speaker adoption has increased from 22.9 percent to 34.7 percent over the same time period.
- Meanwhile, Google announced that Google Assistant can open and search through some of the most popular apps available for Android phones. For example, you can now use your voice to search the Walmart app to find holiday gift to purchase, search for songs on Spotify, or order a Pumpkin Spice Latte at Dunkin’ Donuts. But you cannot use your voice to complete the transaction, though.
Why This News Matters to Businesses
- As we blogged earlier this year, voice is creating the new normal. During the pandemic, people are more conscious of how everyday behaviors such as washing their hands, social distancing, and not touching their faces helps fight against the spread of all kinds of health threats, including but not limited to the coronavirus. Using smart voice assistants to manage our lives — to do everything from ordering products to getting information — looks to be a less risky behavior from a health standpoint than an interface that requires touching a screen or clicking on a keyboard.
- Voice assistants can help people live their lives more safely, and voice assistants can help make life more bearable during the pandemic. For example, Amazon and Google already offer skills and actions that improve mindfulness.
- Making voice assistants more pervasive is important. When people can use voice commands to do everyday tasks such as search, they grow more comfortable using voice in other areas of their lives, such as shopping and in-depth research. This is one reason why the news about Google Assistant’s expanded features matters.
What Businesses Should Do
- The key for businesses to sense and respond quickly is to use test-and-learn tools such as design sprints that make it possible to understand how apply voice commercially in cost-effective ways. The Moonshot FUEL methodology is designed to help businesses do that.
- We also believe it’s essential that enterprises apply voice to create lovable experiences that put the needs of people at the center.
For More Insight
At Moonshot, we’ve shared extensive thought leadership on the uptake of voice. Recent examples include:
- “The Truth about Voice Technology for B2B,” Mark Persaud, Moonshot blog, October 8, 2020.
- “Where Is Voice Tech Going?” Mark Persaud, TechCrunch, July 29, 2020.
- “The State of Voice 2020: A Perspective from the Global Voice Conference,” Mark Persaud, Moonshot blog, June 29, 2020.
- “Can Voice Enable Healthier Remote Working Culture?” Mark Persaud, June 1, 2020.
- “How to Create a Voice-Based Product with a Design Sprint,” Moonshot guide, May 12, 2020.
- “Voice Is Creating a New Normal,” Mark Persaud, Moonshot blog, May 7, 2020.
We’re uniquely positioned to help you succeed in 2020 and beyond because we help businesses build trust in a voice-first world.
