Voice Commands: Current State October 2018

WASHINGTON, Oct. 15, 2018 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Most voice command usage is on smartphones [91%], with close to half of smartphone owners using voice at least monthly. Local businesses and entertainment companies are the most likely to miss out if they do not optimize their voice-first experience.  Getting directions [63%], making a call [60%] and playing music [56%] are the most widespread uses, with gaining access to retail ranking high: locating stores [40%] and learning store hours [32%].

Overall, daily voice command technology usage is routine for only a third of users, even though 70% have tried voice once at least once. Barriers to more widespread use include privacy concerns, poor experiences using voice control and limited ownership of Internet of Things smart devices. Fixes to these issues will likely accelerate voice command usage.

• User concerns over privacy are high [55%], limiting the appeal of voice.  
• Reported problems with usability or with accuracy are moderate[36%].
• Low smart device ownership [Smart TV 34%, Smart Speaker 14% and Smart Home 9%]

Another factor in the limited adoption of voice is the lack of usage for more complicated voice command functions. Large, more complex activities could be profitably targeted for advanced voice controls especially for in the home and in the car uses.

• Only 25% currently use voice for product searches or to control smart homes.
• Television controls or reaching customer service are at 23% and 19% respectively.
• Shopping has vast room for expansion: product reviews and searches for deals or new products are at 17, 14 and 10%.
• Three-quarters already use voice at home, and almost two-thirds do so in their car.

Diverse, educated moms who are constantly online are the current power users of voice. They are more likely to use voice commands for multiple activities, across devices, and in different locations. Voice experiences that help them be hands-free and work across devices are important to meet their needs.

• More likely to use voice across locations [96% at home, 81% in the car and 82% at work].
• Top uses include finding a movie [42%] and finding a store [45%].

"Focusing on voice-first experiences is important now. Significant opportunities exist to capture attention and market share with easier to use, robust and higher quality voice experiences. Companies that fail to have a robust voice strategy will fall behind the competition.", said Julie Diaz-Asper, Founding Partner of Social Lens Research.

According to Tom Dorf, VP Advertising, MocoSpace, "Voice commands are on the cusp of being a primary way to interact with all electronics/appliances, search the internet and conduct e/m-commerce. It's important for brands to find their voice-related engagement use cases."

"While voice command usage has not yet become mainstream, multicultural women are leading the way in early adoption of this new technology," said Ali Mirza, National Account Executive, response: AI.

Social Lens Research teamed with MocoSpace and response:AI to conduct an in-depth analysis of current voice command usage. The study was fielded among the MocoSpace community, who are more likely than the general population to be diverse, mobile dominant and connect daily. The MocoSpace community offers a representation of early adopters and the future adoption of emerging technology.

The survey had 999 respondents, and the respondents were 44% White, 29% African American and 20% Hispanic. Of respondents, 93% owned a smartphone, 98% went online daily and 70% have used voice commands at least once.  

For more about the study visit: http://www.sociallensresearch.com/voice

Social Lens Research, Social Lens Research helps organizations better understand, reach and serve their target audiences. Our approach to research is lean, iterative and collaborative.  The Lens team has a proven track record of using a mix of research methodologies to gain deeper insights. Our team leverages deep experience in product strategy, marketing outreach, and customer experience design to offer actionable and high-value recommendations. Research findings are packaged to help teams easily digest and share key findings with stakeholders. For more information, visit www.sociallensresearch.com.

MocoSpace is a leading social media destination on the mobile Internet, with over fifty million registered users. Every day, users spend more than one million hours finding new friends, chatting, listening to music, watching videos, joining Fan pages and playing games from all web-enabled devices. For a trendy, multicultural, on-the-go generation, MocoSpace is the mobile community of choice. Launched in 2005, the company is based in Boston, Mass., and is backed by General Catalyst and Softbank Capital. For more information, visit www.jnjmobile.com.

response:AI is an innovative market research technology, leveraging automation and AI to simplify and standardize the process of conducting survey research studies. The response:AI platform guides expert questionnaire design with over 130 pre-defined survey constructs. Web-based consumer interviewing is automated, and the platform generates full reports with AI-driven data insights. For more information, visit www.response-ai.com.

To view this video on YouTube, please visit: https://youtu.be/0UBDhTsnE0Y

Media Contact:Julie Diaz-Asper, Social Lens Research, 2027067543, julieda@sociallensresearch.com

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SOURCE Social Lens Research