Voice search is one of the fastest-rising ecommerce trends, and one that ecommerce entrepreneurs should watch closely. More consumers are vocalizing their shopping desires rather than typing them out. This is an opportunity for ecommerce business owners to reach and connect with customers looking for more speed and convenience.
To take advantage of voice search, however, you want to know what voice search is and how it works, what devices customers are using and how, whether it’s popular in your addressable market, and other stats that tell you how much time and effort to invest into the technology.
In this article, we provide the most important voice search statistics for ecommerce entrepreneurs. Let's dive in.
1. 50% of US Consumers Use Voice Search Daily
Consumers are increasingly using voice search as part of their online routines. A report from 2022 estimated that half of the US population used voice search features daily, with particular growth among younger demographics. Nearly three out of every five adults aged 25-34 reported reliance on voice commands for their daily searches.
Around 72% of respondents said that they’d been using voice search for one to five years, and 16% said they'd been relying on voice search for more than half a decade.
Over the past couple of years since, smart devices like mobile phones, speakers, and watches have become even more popular, with smart features coming to tons of everyday appliances. This suggests that voice search has also grown in popularity as well.
2. 71% of Consumers Preferred Voice Search in 2018
Asking your smart device questions over typing them has become more popular. Back in 2018, around seven out of ten consumers preferred to use voice searches to conduct a query over typing.
At that time, the most popular uses of voice search were restricted to conducting basic queries and information requests, along with basic tasks like checking on the weather, playing music, and setting reminders.
But given the potential and benefits of voice search, it's no wonder that it's grown in popularity and continues to do so. This is particularly noteworthy for consumers dealing with a disability and the visually impaired, who have benefitted from voice search.
3. Smart Speakers Ownership in The US
Smart speaker adoption has grown across American households. These voice-enabled gadgets have become mainstream technology, with ownership rates climbing steadily each year. The convenience and accessibility of smart speakers have made them essential household items for many families.
As of 2022, more than one-third of consumers in the US owned a smart speaker, with growth projected. And in 2021, tech giants Amazon, Google, and Apple dominated the smart speaker market share in the US.
Amazon users accounted for 94.2 million of these smart speakers, with 46.7 million people in the US owning a similar device from Google.
4. More Than Half of Smart Speaker Owners Use Their Devices Daily
Ownership of smart speakers is on the rise, but so is voice search usage with smart speakers. In 2018, 52% of all smart speaker owners used their devices daily, according to NPR. Over one-third used them to carry out voice searches.
Given the increasing use and popularity of smart speakers, if you happen to run an ecommerce business selling tech gadgets, consider amping up your marketing efforts around November. The period between Black Friday and the end of the year is proving to be a particularly popular time for purchases of smart speakers. Eight percent of the US population bought a smart speaker during this period in 2018.
More recently, experts valued the global smart speaker market at $10.6 billion, projecting it to grow to $50.9 billion by 2030. North America accounted for 41.0% of global revenue in 2022, with Asia Pacific set to be the fastest growing market for smart speakers.
And if you’re thinking about virtual assistants, Amazon’s Alexa had the largest revenue share.
5. Smart Speakers Usage for Shopping
The rising ownership of smart speakers coupled with increasing ecommerce growth suggests that smart speakers have become an important shopping tool, though not completely ubiquitous yet. In 2022, there were an estimated 33.2 million smart speaker shoppers in the US, with growth increasingly marginally from 2018.
Voice commerce continues to expand as consumers become comfortable with purchasing through audio commands. The convenience of hands-free shopping appeals to busy households looking to streamline their buying process. If you're thinking about targeting consumers who shop via their smart speakers, though, it's important to know what they're buying.
Most purchases made via voice are for health and beauty products. From 2019 to 2021, analysts estimated that as many as 8.9 million health and beauty products were bought via smart speakers. Electronics accounted for 8.8 million purchases, with consumers buying around 8.5 million household products in that period.
6. Role of Voice Search in Buyers' Purchase Journey
With more and more people opting to shop via voice search, it's important to understand at which stage of the purchase funnel their dependence on voice search is the highest.
Online shoppers tend to use voice assistants more extensively in the pre-checkout stages than for checking out, particularly in product research and addition to shopping lists. In 2018, more than half of all online shoppers in the US used voice assistants to help them research products, while over a third used them to add new items to their shopping lists.
Voice assistants also continued to feature in the post-checkout stages, with 30% of online shoppers using it to track their packages, 20% leaving reviews or ratings, and 17% using voice search to repurchase items. Ecommerce business owners have a lot to gain for optimizing their storefronts for voice search.
7. More Than One Third of Consumers Said Voice Ads Were Less Intrusive
Voice ads for smart speakers are distinct from other forms of advertising, and many consumers are more accepting of them. A 2019 report from Adobe showed that 38% of consumers who’ve heard a voice ad on a smart speaker found them to be less intrusive, and 39% of respondents said that they were more engaging.
Voice ads have the potential to resonate with consumers on an emotional level, and people tend to respond better to them. The same report revealed that 40% of people who heard a voice advertisement then proceeded to purchase the item that was being advertised.
8. 27% of the Online Global Population Used Mobile Voice Search
In 2018, more than 25% (27% actually) of the global online population was using the voice search feature on their mobile devices. Usage was particularly popular among consumers aged 16 to 34, with two-thirds of mobile voice search users falling into this particular age group.
There was also reasonable gender parity, with 28% of men using voice-assisted searches on their mobile devices, compared to 26% of women doing the same.
In terms of markets, mobile voice search features were particularly popular in Indonesia (38%), China (36%), and India (34%). Over a third of internet users in these markets carried out voice-assisted searches on their mobile gadgets, compared to 25% of US internet users using voice search features on their mobile devices.
9. North America Accounts for 42.5% of the Virtual Assistant Market
The voice search market is massive, with the virtual assistant market forecast to reach $309.9 billion by 2033 after making over $15 billion in 2023. Smart speakers and chatbots account for a sizable share of the revenue, with the former contributing over $91 billion and the latter nearly $219 billion in 2033.
Virtual assistants, and by extension voice search, are becoming more and more popular across many different business types and use cases. More than 37% of businesses reported using virtual assistants, with the technology taking a spotlight for its administrative capacities.
Not surprisingly, North America is a leading market for virtual assistants, holding a market share of around 42.5%. Ecommerce businesses should definitely keep these figures in mind, as virtual assistants and the products used to interface with them are growing in popularity and ubiquity.
10. 17% of People Used Voice Assistants to Check the Weather
Voice search and assistant technologies have become increasingly popular and changed the daily lives of consumers in drastic and smaller, day-to-day ways. But what sort of tasks have consumers given to voice assistants?
A study from 2022 showed that the top task was to check the weather, with around one in six (17%) users doing so. Around 16% of respondents said they used voice assistants for “near me” searches, using the technology to seek out nearby restaurants, shops, and other businesses.
Smaller shares of people also used voice assistants for hands-free searches while driving (14%) and looking up definitions and facts (13%). Looking for online products and services was also a popular use case, likely the most important finding for new and growing ecommerce businesses.
Voice Search Optimization Tips
To capitalize on the growth of voice search and voice assistants, businesses need practical strategies to make their content discoverable through voice queries. Here are essential techniques to optimize your ecommerce site for voice search success:
Focus on Natural Language
Voice queries sound different from typed searches. People speak in full sentences and ask complete questions rather than using keyword fragments. Update your content to include natural speech patterns and question-based phrases that match how customers actually talk.
Target Detailed Keyword Phrases
Voice searches tend to be longer and more specific than text-based queries. Instead of "running shoes," users might say "best waterproof running shoes for winter under $100." Create content around these detailed, specific phrases to capture voice traffic.
Optimize for Location-Based Queries
Many voice searches include location elements like "near me" or specific city names. Set up local business profiles, include location information on your website, and target geographic keywords relevant to your business areas.
Ensure Mobile-Friendly Design
Since many voice searches happen on mobile devices, your website must load quickly and display properly on smartphones. Responsive design and fast loading times become even more critical for voice search success.
Create Answer-Focused Content
Voice assistants often pull answers from featured snippets and well-structured content. Write clear, direct answers to common customer questions and format them in easily scannable sections.
Go Vocal with Your Ecommerce Business
Whether you're interested in optimizing your ecommerce page or boosting the sales and marketing strategy of your tech ecommerce store, these voice search stats will certainly come in handy to help understand the direction that ecommerce and mobile ecommerce are heading towards.
The future of search is increasingly vocal, and businesses that adapt now will be best positioned to capture this growing market.
Voice Search Statistics FAQ
How popular is voice search?
Voice search is quite popular. Consumers all over the world are using voice search more and more as part of their online shopping or other online routines. In 2022, an estimated 50% or so of the US online population used voice search features every day, with nearly three out of five adults aged 25 to 34 relying on voice commands for daily searches.
What are the most popular uses of voice search?
Voice search is used for a variety of reasons, chief among them asking for directions, finding information on local business, getting weather updates, researching products and services online, and swiftly checking facts. People use voice assistants to seek out nearby restaurants, shops, and other local businesses, especially while driving or in-transit. Other uses include communication and news updates.
How big is the smart speaker market?
The smart speaker market is sizable, suggesting that the voice search and assistant markets are also in positions to grow. In 2022, experts valued the global smart speaker market at $10.6 billion, projecting it to grow to $50.9 billion by 2030. North America accounted for 41.0% of global revenue in 2022, with Asia Pacific set to be the fastest growing market for smart speakers.