Commentary

The WFA's New Voice Coalition

The World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) is launching the Voice Coalition, a new initiative designed to help marketers better understand the impact voice technology will have on the way consumers select brands and products.

Founded in partnership with Fast-Up Partners (FUP), the group has been created following research that examines the way consumers use voice-enabled assistants to guide their purchase decisions.

The coalition includes a number of WFA members, including Mastercard, and is open to any clients interested in exploring the potential of voice commerce. 

“Research just conducted by WFA with The Economist Group shows voice to be a relatively low priority today to many marketers’,” said WFA president-Mastercard CMO Raja Rajamannar. “But when quizzed on upcoming priorities, 55% of WFA members say voice will be big.” 

The launch coincides with new research conducted for the WFA by independent research group BVA into current consumer behaviors among owners of Alexa devices in the UK and U.S.

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Based on 1,500 respondents in the U.S. and UK and augmented by focus groups in New York, the study found that 35% of those surveyed used voice to check prices; 30% use it to add items to their shopping list; and 18% use it to add items to a cart/basket. Fifteen percent have used it to make a purchase.

Some 67% plan to use voice commerce at some point for adding items to cart and 60% are willing to use it to purchase directly. More than two-thirds are willing to let Alexa recommend brands, and 77% are happy for Alexa to recommend an appropriate Amazon brand. 

Well, that does sound big.

 

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