A friend of mine recently asked me, “What’s the next big frontier in e-commerce that nobody is talking about?”
I paused. Not because I didn’t have an answer, but because my answer was one that most people tend to overlook.
It’s not the latest AI-powered ad-buying hack. It’s not another social media algorithm trick.
It’s voice commerce. And I feel it’s quietly becoming a massive opportunity.
The $19 Billion Opportunity
Right now, voice commerce is a $5 billion market in the U.S. alone. By 2025, it’s expected to hit $19 billion. But if you ask most brands what their voice strategy is, they don’t have one.
Consumers are already talking to Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant for everyday tasks, like ordering groceries, booking rides, and playing music. The behavioral shift has happened.
But businesses? They’re lagging behind.
Why Voice Commerce is Different
Here’s what makes voice commerce unique:
- No scrolling, no clicking. Consumers aren’t browsing, but asking. If your brand isn’t optimized for voice search, you’re invisible.
- Zero UI decisions. With screens, consumers see multiple options. With voice, they get one answer – whoever ranks first wins.
- Speed over everything. A customer won’t wait for a slow checkout. The experience has to be instant, seamless, and integrated.
This changes how businesses need to think about sales, discovery, and brand presence.
The Mistakes Businesses Are Making
Most brands assume voice commerce is just another sales channel. It’s not. It’s a different behavioral channel. And the biggest mistakes I see?
- Ignoring voice SEO. If your brand isn’t optimized for voice search, Alexa and Google Assistant won’t surface you.
- Treating it like a website. Voice is conversational. Consumers aren’t “browsing” menus, but asking direct questions.
- Forgetting frictionless purchasing. Without seamless voice-enabled transactions, you lose conversions before they even start.
The Smart Play: Build for Voice Now
Brands that win in voice commerce will take these three steps:
1. Master Voice SEO
Optimize for natural language queries, not just keywords. Someone typing “best running shoes” will say, “Alexa, what are the best running shoes for flat feet?” Brands that rank in voice search get the sale.
2. Create a Voice Shopping Experience
Develop Alexa Skills and Google Actions to create a conversational buying flow. Think of it as your voice storefront – if you don’t build it, someone else will own that interaction.
3. Integrate Voice Payments
Amazon Pay, Google Pay, and Apple Pay enable frictionless checkout. The fewer steps, the higher the conversion.
The Bottom Line
The future of e-commerce isn’t just visual, but vocal. And the brands that move now will dominate this $19 billion wave before the rest of the market catches up.
So the real question is:
When someone asks their smart speaker for the product you sell…
Will your brand be the one they hear?
See you next week.