The evolution of marketing in the context of voice commerce: A managerial perspective

Abstract

The world is confronted with the rise of voice assistants, increasingly used for shopping activities. This paper examines managers’ perceptions of the evolution of voice assistants and their potential effects on the marketing practice. Shopping-related voice assistants are likely to radically change the way consumers search and purchase products with severe impact on brands. However, the behavior of these AI-enabled machines represents a “black box” for brand owners. The study of the managers’ interpretation of a voice-enabled marketplace is critical as it may influence future marketing choices. The authors use an inductive theory construction process to study the phenomenon of voice commerce through the eyes of AI experts and voice-aware managers. A mixed-method approach paced three distinct data collection phases. First, systematic machine behavior observations (Amazon Alexa) unfolded the unique characteristics of voice shopping. Second, in-depth interviews with 30 executives drew the current brand owner’s challenges and opportunities in the context of voice commerce. Third, an expert survey with international managers (N = 62) revealed the expected impact of voice assistants on the shopping process. Findings show that managers consider voice assistants a disruptive technology assuming a central relational role in the consumer market. However, they often divergence in opinions across industry, function, and seniority level. Besides, managers’ familiarity with voice commerce is correlated to a higher optimism towards voice technologies (opportunity for brands) but also a greater sense of urgency (short-term focus) with implications for marketing strategy. This article offers support to brand owners explaining how voice assistants work and examining their effects on consumption. The authors discuss empirical results while providing managerial guidelines to create resilient and sustainable brands in the era of voice commerce.