Quick Summary
As an e-commerce store owner, you may have noticed that customers often leave their carts during busy times because the checkout process takes too long. What if they could just say, “Hey Alexa, buy the blue running shoes from XYZ Store”? This would save them time and make shopping easier by removing the need for clicks and form-filling. That is the benefit of voice commerce.
In fact, according to leading researchers, voice commerce is expected to exceed $395 billion by 2029, at a CAGR of over 27%. This exponential growth is driven by the rising popularity of smart speakers and voice assistants in households.
But how can you use voice commerce for your business, and what kind of benefits does it offer? Let’s find out with this blog. But first, we discuss what it is.
Voice commerce is an online shopping format in which buyers use voice commands to order their desired products. This purchase approach uses devices like smart speakers, virtual assistants (Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant), and voice-enabled apps.
This approach transforms the traditional e-commerce journey into a largely auditory, hands-free experience. With voice commerce, a user can:
Tasks are executed through voice commands and paid for via pre-linked payment profiles. It makes for a screenless touchpoint and prioritizes speed and convenience for routine purchases or reorders.
Voice commerce works by combining voice recognition, natural language processing (NLP), and secure payment integrations. Here’s how the process works:
Altogether, voice commerce streamlines the shopping journey by eliminating manual inputs and speeding up tasks. Speaking of the advantages, let’s discuss them in detail.
As an advanced e-commerce strategy, voice commerce offers a range of benefits for both stores and shoppers.
All in all, voice commerce provides a uniquely frictionless purchasing channel for shoppers, potentially leading to higher sales for stores.
While voice commerce is advanced, it’s not a distant future; it’s rather an emerging sales channel. But preparing for the voice-first strategy on your e-store requires foundational optimizations.
Voice assistants often read their answers directly from the “Featured Snippet”. It’s the box that appears at the top of Google search results.
Start by creating content that answers common questions about your products (like “How to clean suede boots?”). Use clear headings, bullet points, and tables along with a well-formatted FAQ section to make it easy for Google to extract a concise answer.
Voice queries are conversational, so try to mirror the product descriptions, titles, and FAQs in natural language. That means using long-tail keywords, question-based phrasing, and clear product details to help the voice assistant understand your products and recommend them effectively.
Schema markup helps Google and voice assistants correctly read your product information. Adding structured data, such as price, availability, ratings, and product type, can increase your chances of appearing in voice-driven search results.
Voice commerce thrives on speed and convenience. So in your store, it should be simple and convenient to order, reorder, and check out from the store. For that, you can enable one-click payments, saved cards, default shipping addresses, and easy reorder options.
So the assistant will be able to complete the transactions with minimal steps.
If you have a brick-and-mortar store and are running an omnichannel e-commerce strategy, local SEO is crucial. That is because voice search is often hyper-local.
For that, you can include location-based keywords and phrasings in your website’s content and product pages. For example, “artisanal coffee beans in Seattle”.
Voice-activated shopping happens either through mobile devices (hands-free) or through voice assistant smart devices like Amazon Alexa Echo and Google Home. So make sure Google and other search engines can crawl your website and find your product information without delay.
That means optimizing your website for better responsiveness. To improve the e-commerce website speed and performance,
Everyone likes browsing the internet and often shops for products in their preferred language. So you need to implement multi-language support on your e-commerce website.
Customers will be able to order in their language effectively and are more likely to reorder from the same site if it is convenient.
Since purchases are made via voice commands, maintaining strict account and payment security is even more critical. For that, you can use multi-factor authentication, tokenized payments, and fraud monitoring.
Since others may also overhear the voice commands, see if you can set up confirmation prompts for high-value orders. That will help maintain trust and reliability.
Depending on your target audience, configure your store for Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri Shortcuts. Connect your product catalog and key systems (like payment and checkout) and ensure your backend supports voice-triggered actions.
For example, with Alexa, you can create a “skill” that lets users re-order a top-selling product or get details on a weekly special offer.
Train your chatbot or virtual assistant to handle common shopping queries and questions. They should also manage orders and returns through voice. Natural, conversational responses enhance the customer experience.
Track the voice queries, product mentions, and failed searches. Try to find your own products using a smart speaker or your phone. Compare the phrases used by you and other users and see what kinds of responses the voice assistants provided.
Collect feedback from your users and developers continuously to refine product listings and improve your keyword strategy. That way, you can also streamline the voice-enabled shopping workflows for better results.
If you want professional assistance with preparing your store for voice commerce, get help from a dedicated e-commerce development company.
As with any advanced technology, voice commerce comes with certain challenges. So let’s try to address them.
Accents, background noise, and unclear phrasing often lead to misinterpretation. It causes frustration and abandoned purchases.
How to Solve: Invest in advanced NLP models, train systems on diverse speech datasets, and use confirmation prompts for critical actions.
Voice-only interactions can feel restrictive, especially when users need visuals to compare products or validate details.
How to Solve: Adopt multimodal experiences–pair voice with screens, mobile apps, or smart displays to support browsing and decision-making.
Many shoppers hesitate to place orders without visual confirmation of price, quantity, or brand.
How to Solve: Provide verbal summaries before checkout and offer optional visual previews through linked devices or apps.
Voice commerce often demands specific device ecosystems, integrations, or voice apps–barriers for both customers and retailers.
How to Solve: Build cross-platform compatibility, simplify integration workflows, and offer voice-enabled features directly within existing mobile apps.
Frequent changes in voice assistant policies, APIs, or supported features disrupt long-term strategies for retailers.
How to Solve: Maintain flexible architectures, rely on standardized schemas, and diversify across multiple voice platforms to reduce dependency risks.
Always-on listening and voice-based authentication raise concerns about data misuse and unauthorized access.
How to Solve: Implement transparent privacy controls, encryption, opt-in listening modes, and multi-factor voice verification for sensitive tasks.
Robotic responses and limited conversational flows break immersion, making voice commerce feel unnatural.
How to Solve: Design context-aware, natural dialogue patterns, train models with intent-rich data, and personalize responses based on user behavior.
There may be other challenges that arise during the preparation and optimization for voice commerce. So expert assistance is recommended.
Voice and visual commerce working together focus on speed and convenience. Combined, they create a seamless and powerful shopping experience.
Think of it as a customer having a direct conversation with your brand.
For example, a user might use visual search to show a running shoe and say, “Find me this shoe in black color in size 10”. Based on the search and curation, the voice assistant will display options or reply, “The product you are searching for is not available. But here are a few similar alternatives.”
The user can continue browsing visually, then confirm the purchase through voice. This hybrid flow supports faster decisions, reduces friction, and mirrors how people naturally shop in physical stores. They use their voice for speed and visuals for clarity.
Voice commerce started with just basic speech recognition.
Today, Voice shopping has reached the next level. For example, a customer can order a product from Amazon via their Alexa device. They simply say, “Alexa, order me a bottle of apple cider vinegar,” and that’s it. The transaction is handled via voice commerce.
In the future, shoppers can expect hyper-personalized recommendations, context-aware interactions, and nearly frictionless payments. Additionally, there will be an even deeper integration with wearables, cars, and home devices. As trust and accuracy improve, voice and visual commerce will become the primary interfaces for routine purchases and on-the-go decisions.
From search to checkout, voice commerce compresses the entire purchasing process into a single interaction, which reduces the friction. There are many other reasons businesses and shoppers may prefer voice commands over written instructions in the upcoming years.
Voice transforms passive browsing into an active, two-way dialogue. Unlike a screen, a voice assistant asks clarifying questions and provides immediate, spoken recommendations. It creates a participatory shopping experience that builds deeper brand connection and recall.
Voice commerce condenses the entire purchasing journey into a single, spoken command. For replenishable goods and routine buys, it eliminates the friction of app navigation, typing, and clicking. It’s the fastest possible way to shop.
The sheer simplicity of the process directly counters cart abandonment. With payment info securely stored, a purchase is completed in seconds. That turns impulse and routine intent into immediate action without the distractions of a visual interface.
Voice technology seamlessly integrates commerce into daily life. Consumers can now shop while driving, cooking, caring for children, and more. What was impossible or at least inconvenient through screen-based shopping is now possible.
Voice is no longer a standalone channel. Shoppers now use commands like “find my nearest store with this in stock” or “add this to my cart for pickup”. It blends digital convenience with physical retail and creates a truly unified customer journey.
These are just a few reasons why voice commerce is poised for exponential growth in 2026 and beyond.
Nowadays, voice commerce has become a fundamental part of the retail landscape. It has completely shifted how consumers shop. Their priority is now on efficiency, intuition, and seamless integration into daily life.
For businesses, this is a strategic imperative. With smart assistants, richer multimodal experiences, and hands-free interactions, buyers will be less likely to abandon their carts and achieve higher conversion rates. So if you want to build a more future-ready e-commerce business, prepare and optimize for voice commerce.
And if you need expert help building a voice-activated shopping experience for your customers, connect with us today!
Yes, most platforms use encrypted payments, user authentication, voice-match profiles, and confirmation prompts. However, retailers should still implement strong privacy settings and multi-factor authentication for sensitive actions.
Common categories include groceries, home essentials, electronics, fitness products, beauty products, and subscriptions. Voice commerce is especially popular for reorders and quick, routine purchases.
Yes, you can start by optimizing your e-commerce website’s search functionality, metadata, and product descriptions for voice-based searches. Then integrate voice-assistant systems to add functionality.
Optimize for voice search, add structured data markup, build voice-enabled features, and simplify payment and checkout. They also need to enhance site security and analyze voice search data to deliver a more refined customer experience.
John Niles is a highly specialized Technical Consultant at BrainSpate focusing on the critical areas of Payment and Gateways. He is at the forefront of identifying and implementing next-generation solutions designed to elevate an e-commerce brand's technical capabilities and overall experience for the modern audience. John ensures seamless transactions and future-proof digital infrastructure.
