More than half of consumers in America now use voice search to find information about local businesses. And 46% of consumers use voice search to find local businesses daily. A further 28% use voice search to search for a local business each week.
The findings resulted from research by Score. Score offers mentoring to U.S. businesses. The organization dedicates itself to helping small businesses develop and grow.
The fact remains a large portion of consumers in the United States use voice search to research and find local businesses on a regular basis. And this highlights just how important voice search is for small businesses. And it shows the need for them to incorporate the growing consumer trend into marketing campaigns.
Voice Search Statistics
Score’s research identified voice search statistics and trends. And these discoveries appeared within different age groups and demographics. The study found younger consumers between the ages of 18 and 34 more likely to use voice search. And 76% percent of these said they had used this method of search to find out information about a local business in the last 12 months.
Just 15% of this age group said they have not used voice search. But they also said they would be willing to consider it in the future.
64% of shoppers between 35 and 54 used voice search for local business information during the last year. And 12% said they have not used voice search at all. But 24% said they have not used it but would consider it as a means of finding out about local businesses.
Older consumers aged 54 years and above are less inclined to use voice search for local business information, with 37% of this demographic having used voice search for local business information in the past 12 months. 33% said they haven’t used it but would consider it and 30% saying they have not used it.
The voice search statistics also highlighted the industries most heavily impacted by voice search enquiries. The sector that voice search is used most commonly by consumers the most for finding local business information is the restaurant and café industry, with 55% of those surveyed saying they use voice search for food-related business.
Grocery stores were next in line, with 41% of consumers using voice search to find out information about local stores. Food delivery services is another popular voice search related business, as are clothing stores and hotels and bed and breakfasts.
Analysis Looks At Consumers
The analysis looked specifically at what consumers are using voice search for within the different industries.
54% are making restaurant reservations with the help of voice search, 46% of consumers are determining the prices of local businesses’ products or services, 40% are using this method of search to ask which products a business has in stock, 32% to buy directly from a business and 27% to visit a local business’s website after making a voice search.
Bridget Weston Pollack, Vice President of Marketing and Strategy at SCORE, commented on the survey’s findings and the importance voice search has become to help small, local businesses remain competitive.
“Right now, more than half of consumers – and three quarters of millennials – are using voice search to connect with local businesses, and the number is steadily growing.”
Given the importance of voice search has become to the local business community, small businesses would be wise to include voice search into their marketing campaigns.
Failing to recognize and make the most of this growing consumer trend could mean small businesses miss out on reaching out to customers.
Check out this full infographic from SCORE for some voice search statistics and basics for small businesses:
Image: DepositPhotos.com