Today iProspect (a Dentsu Aegis Network company) released The Future is Voice Activated, a bespoke research piece that investigates voice adoption and usage across smartphone owners in Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan and Singapore. The white paper uses these findings to outline implications for marketers when crafting their voice strategies across the six field markets.
Together with insights consultancy idstats, iProspect surveyed over 1,800 smartphone owners aged 18 to 50 years old across Asia Pacific in April 2018.
The research highlights the impact and scale of voice technology (voice search, voice-activated AI assistants, voice-enabled application functions, etc.) in Asia Pacific today. 62% of respondents used voice activated technology in the last six months, with India (82%) and China (77%) emerging as leaders in voice adoption. Additionally, 56% of current users observed that their usage had increased over the last six months and 95% indicated their intention to continue using voice technology in the next twelve months.
Using the research and Net Promotor Scores, iProspect classifies surveyed markets into two categories: conservative and dynamic growth markets. Conservative growth markets are classified as having less than 60% adoption, mixed sentiment towards the technology and steady growth potential whereas dynamic growth markets are classified as having over 60% adoption, positive sentiment towards the technology and high growth potential. These classifications frame the content of the whitepaper.
“The transformative impact of voice technology is being felt across the globe. Brands who aren’t reacting to this burgeoning technology risk becoming invisible sooner than they think across key customer touch points,” said Joanna Catalano, CEO, iProspect Asia Pacific. “This piece of research explores the proliferation of voice technology across the region and key considerations for brands when crafting a voice strategy.”
The white paper suggests that brands should consider the following when crafting a voice strategy:
1. Convenience is King: Tapping into hands-free moments and daily habits is important to offer true value to the customer. Start simple – in terms of both the queries needed from the user and for information provided by the assistants.
2. Optimize for Rank Zero: In Asia, Voice search is becoming a significant way in which we discover products, locations and more. Brands need to optimize their SEO and marketplace content strategies to suit new conversational queries. Remember with only one audio result you want to make sure it is your brand.
3. Understand Market Nuances (Dynamic vs Conservative): There are clear differences in the behavior, adoption and ecosystems of voice in each country. We consistently see differences emerging between dynamic and conservative markets. To succeed, brands must first understand the behavior and ecosystem in each market.
