5 Tips to Prepare for Voice Search Ecommerce
Gone are the days dreaming of having a butler and a maid at your bidding. Now you have an assistant in the form of a speaker compact enough to sit on your nightstand, kitchen counter, or whatever we’re calling the furniture in our living rooms now that “entertainment center” is pretty obsolete.
While the digital assistant cannot clean for us (we’re not giving up hope), it can shop for us. This is valuable information for any digital marketer; the world of ecommerce is changing right before our eyes.
Voice search can no longer be ignored, not when smart speakers belong to 16% of Americans. The accessibility of online shopping combined with the ease of conversation, coupled with the increasing intelligence of our digital assistants, means ecommerce marketers better pay attention to the world of voice search shopping.
The Smart Audio Report from NPR and Edison Research (Fall-Winter 2017) also reported that “31% added an item to [their] cart so [they] could review it later for purchase,” while 22% took the plunge and ordered a new product with the speaker (22% also used it to re-order an item)!
Basically, consumers are already catching on. Is your business ready?
Below are five tips to make your ecommerce voice heard:
- Think Like You Speak
Voice search is much more conversational than the concise typed searches we’re used to. Whether you’re using Google Home or Amazon Alexa, chances are you’re going to ask a question rather than speak in staccato inquiries.
Take note of how you interact with your smart speaker this week vs. how you type searches on your phone or computer and you’ll see what we mean. Take conversational tone and speech patterns into account when developing your SEO (long-tail keywords, we’re looking at you).
- Don’t Forget to Subscribe!
Why is voice search popular? Because speaking, generally, is easier than typing. If ease if what you’re looking for, what’s easier than going through the purchasing process once then reaping the benefits multiple times?
Subscriptions like Amazon Fresh make life easier for consumers. Consider setting up a similar model for your business so that customers can set it, forget it, and enjoy it.
- Livin’ La Vida Local
Voice search isn’t just for the home—people are using their phone’s digital assistant to search too. Whether your consumers are searching from their living room or Lyft, you have the potential to make your local voice louder. Focus on your local prowess, and it’ll help you regardless of whether consumers are looking via a smart speaker or a smart phone.
- Continuity is Key
Spend some time bolstering your omnichannel. You want your business on everyone’s radar, but in your effort to stand out, don’t forget to remain consistent from store to website to app. Consistent branding is key to provide your customers with an easy and enjoyable experience.
- Pay Attention
Pay attention to your consumers—their preferences, past orders, and points of interest. Knowledge of their neighborhood and work field can also help you stay ahead of the game and make suggestions that turn into valuable conversions. Remember, voice search is all about ease of use, so knowing what your customers want before they do means less work for them and more profits for you.
Looking to amp up your ecommerce but don’t have the time or know-how to tackle voice search? Let Kraus Marketing help. Contact us to learn how our SEO professionals and digital marketers can bring both experience and a fresh perspective to your ecommerce needs.