A small survey from CNET shows that when asked whether they would prefer to go to a supermarket or mall with friends or shop at home via a voice assistant like Amazon Alexa, only one-third of people chose to shop through smart speakers.
Software company IFTTT released a survey of US consumer shopping behavior last Wednesday, indicating that voice shopping has not yet become popular among the general public. It will take time for new retail technologies to establish a stable audience, and the road for smart speaker shopping may still be long.
Amazon Alexa speaker Amazon Alexa speaker
Gao Xiaosong once predicted in "Xiao Shuo · Gao Xiaosong YY the Future World" that with the booming development of artificial intelligence, big data, VR technology, and convenient transportation, it won't be long before physical shopping and entertainment venues like malls disappear. Humans themselves will live in a self-enclosed environment, all physical social interactions will be lost, and even the "minority" who do not accept this lifestyle will be socially excluded, becoming lonely individuals. Perhaps the emerging AI devices are a signal that the "future" is coming, but fortunately, such a monotonous and dull social scene does not seem to be easily accepted.
IFTTT's survey results suggest that most people who support voice shopping do not actually understand the essence of voice shopping. The majority have a low acceptance of new retail technologies and do not understand what they really mean.
More detailed survey data clearly shows that although about 36% of people are willing to shop at home via voice assistants, in a survey sample of 1,033 people, only 4.75% actually use voice assistants for shopping. At least this means that in the upcoming shopping season, people's shopping channels will still rely on mainstream methods such as malls, websites, and mobile phones. Voice assistant shopping cannot yet enter people's lives on a large scale.
Fox also conducted a survey: "Have you ever used a retail robot?" Here, retail robots refer to robots that can answer user questions online and automatically purchase goods for users through the network. Data shows that 68% of people have never used one, and 23% do not even know what a retail robot is.
These survey findings also remind technology-focused retailers that, for now, they still need to guide users to adopt more advanced shopping methods. For example, Amazon is working hard to build a voice store, although so far with little success. Moreover, traditional retailers who have been striving to adapt to the e-commerce economy do need to seriously consider what kind of technology can attract users and guide them to shop in stores.
Regarding future retail methods, users seem uninterested. About 82% of people believe that letting robots shop for them is not trustworthy. Actually, this is not a big problem. There is no need to be overly obsessed or frenzied about technology. Robots or voice assistants cannot solve all human needs. We need a colorful world and a variety of lifestyles. In the future, people can choose voice assistants or shop by themselves as needed.
