What do Millennials value more than tried-and-true brands? Convenience.
According to new research released by Digitas in conjunction with the Harris Poll, voice assistants such as Siri or Alexa often promote specific items based off an algorithm rather than a user’s preferred brand. According to the poll results, 85 percent of consumers using voice-activated assistants purchase the first item recommended that varied from their initial inquired brand.
To collect the consumer behavior insights, Digitas partnered with the Harris Poll for an online survey of more than 2,000 U.S. adults — 500-plus poll participants had made a purchase using a virtual voice assistant.
The survey found that Millennials are twice as likely than respondents between the ages of 45 and 64 to select the first recommended item when investigating a type of product.
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“Millennials are more than two times as likely as [virtual-voice-assistant] purchasers ages 45 to 64 to always or often purchase the first option selected by the voice assistant when requesting a purchase for a specific brand of product [37 percent versus 16 percent],” a Digitas spokesman said.
This underscores Millennials’ fluidity when it comes to brand loyalty — they’ll consistently opt for convenience and efficiency.
Across all age groups, the research found that consumers continue to display deeper product research when a visual component is available. “Seventy-eight percent of Americans say if they were purchasing a product using a virtual voice assistant with a screen, they’d be likely to scroll through additional product options instead of purchasing the first option the voice assistant gives,” the spokesman explained.
The most popular category to be searched — and purchased — via a voice-activated assistant, the research found, was personal-care and wellness items — 39 percent of respondents said they were receptive to purchasing an item through the channel. Thirty-eight percent of survey participants said they would be open to buy beauty supplies via their voice-assistants. Thirty-four percent said they’d be amendable to buying clothing and accessories via the channel.
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