The Internet has overturned how people shop and reshaped the retail industry. Voice assistants are about to unleash another revolution. As people increasingly shop via the likes of Alexa and Siri, they will tend to demand generic products, starting with everyday items such as batteries and eventually including more complex purchases such as electronics. Digital assistants will use algorithms to compare product specifications, make suggestions, and do comparisons, so that customers can find “the longest-lasting battery pack” or “the cheapest bag of flour.”
As Customers Begin to Shop Through Voice Assistants, What Can Brands Do to Stand Out?
They’ll either have to be cheap, or a “go-to” product.
August 13, 2019
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Summary.
Digital assistants with trustworthy recommendations will supplant the role of all but the strongest product brands. Competition will become even more brutal as consumers switch between only one or two verbally suggested options offered by digital assistants – one being their own private label or another low-cost product. Companies that have negotiated with retailers for shelf space up to now will have to find ways to convince the digital assistants to put their products at the top of verbal searches. That won’t be a problem for the strongest brands, especially those nearly synonymous with certain products – like Kleenex tissues and Q-tips cotton swabs in the United States; or a Thermos vacuum flask in the United Kingdom; and Scotch adhesive tape in France. Since many people have strong emotional attachments with these products, a digital assistant will have to suggest them – or else consumers will go elsewhere.