Meet Mary Jane Copps aka the phone lady, an entrepreneur based in Nova Scotia who runs an unconventional business. Her clientele? Primarily, Gen Zs, a demographic one might assume to be hyper-adept at navigating the digital realm. Surprisingly, her business doesn’t revolve around teaching her young clients how to code, create viral social media content, or build an online business. Instead, she teaches them a skill that has been around for decades: how to speak over the phone. Her business, a testament to the evolving communication preferences of younger generations, serves as a poignant example of why marketers shouldn’t lose sleep over the hype of voice search.
A few years ago, voice search was touted as the next big thing in the marketing world. With the advent of digital assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant, it was expected that voice search would revolutionize how consumers interacted with search engines. As marketers, we tend to jump onto such trends, predicting monumental shifts in consumer behavior. In this case, however, it seems we might have been a tad too zealous.
Recent studies have suggested that millennials and Gen Zs – the digital natives, prefer texting over speaking, not just in their interpersonal communications, but also in their interactions with search engines. The reasons for this preference are manifold.
Firstly, typing allows for more precise communication. Voice search, while it has improved remarkably over the years, is still susceptible to misinterpretation and errors due to accents, background noise, or unclear articulation. When it comes to searching for something online, millennials and Gen Zs prefer the accuracy that comes with typing their queries.
Secondly, consider the privacy factor. Younger generations, more than ever, are conscious of their privacy. Voice search, by nature, is a public act. Typing a search into a phone or a laptop is a private affair, something that’s significantly valued by the privacy-conscious younger demographic.
Lastly, there’s the speed element. Contrary to the popular belief that speaking is faster, a Stanford study found that a typical smartphone user can type around 38 words per minute but can only speak around 23 words per minute to voice recognition software. This, coupled with the potential for errors in voice recognition, might make typing a more efficient option.
Does this mean voice search is dead? Not necessarily. Voice search has found its niche in certain situations – hands-free scenarios, multitasking, or accessibility reasons. However, it’s clear that it isn’t the game-changing marketing trend it was hyped up to be, especially for targeting millennials and Gen Zs.
As marketers, it’s crucial to differentiate between passing fads and long-term shifts in consumer behavior. In this instance, it seems that the grand predictions about voice search taking over the world of search engine marketing have been, to a certain extent, overblown. We need to focus more on understanding our audience’s evolving communication preferences, just like Janet Ramirez did with her unique business model.
So, next time you hear about the latest ‘revolutionary’ tech trend, take a step back, do your research, and above all, don’t stress. Remember, the hype doesn’t always translate into reality, and in the case of voice search, it seems the whispers of revolution have been drowned out by the sound of typing.
Michael Ghimire 