A new study by Connekt suggests TV could be the missing link to spur voice purchases using voice-controlled devices such as Amazon’s Echo and Google Home.
Although voice shopping through these devices has been negligible to date, the study finds consumers are strongly interested in using them to buy items that appear on the screen as they’re watching TV.
TV may be key to smart speaker retail
Purchases made through devices such as Google Home and Amazon’s Echo are projected to soar from $2 billion to $40 billion by 2022, driven by a surge in the number of homes with a voice assistant, according to a new study from OC&C Strategy Consultants.
In the study, 25 percent of respondents said they own a voice device—primarily Echo and Google Home—and, of those, 8 percent have purchased an item directly through it. However, the majority said they’re open to buying items they see in TV using their voice assistant—73 percent would buy a product featured in a TV program and 74% would buy one featured in a commercial.
“To date, voice assistants have mainly been used for things like music and price checking, but TV could be the conduit to change all of that,” said Tripp Boyle, senior vice president for Connekt. “Our research suggests consumers are highly receptive to the idea of linking their voice devices to their TVs, and purchasing products they see on their screens with just a couple of sentences. The potential here is massive for brands and advertisers.”
T-commerce and voice shopping on parallel paths
U.S. consumers are becoming more comfortable with voice shopping, and also with the idea of being served up ads and opportunities to purchase directly through their smart TVs. In fact, Connekt’s survey showed 66 percent are open to receiving relevant interactive offers during a TV program if it meant fewer commercials.
“Both t-commerce and voice commerce will be commonplace in the next couple of years, and their popularity will unlock new, disruptive opportunities for retailers to target and transact with consumers in their living rooms,” said Boyle.
“Alexa…buy That blender”
Cooking shows and home improvement shows seem to have the biggest t-commerce potential. The survey found consumers are most willing to buy recipe ingredients that are featured on cooking TV shows, followed by products featured on home improvement shows. Apparel that appears during sporting events also ranked well, as did downloads for movies and shows that are nominated on awards shows. All age groups were less interested in products seen on reality shows.
The voice commerce survey was conducted online in the United States between March 11 – April 12, 2018. The panel was comprised of 350 consumers ages 18 to over 55. Fifty seven percent were female and 43 percent were male.
