29 Voice Search Statistics & Facts That Will Surprise You

The digital world is rapidly evolving with the addition of new features and emerging trends that people can’t seem to pass upon. Even basic activities like searching online continue to change each year. Now, it looks like the next frontier for our online searches will be hands-free. And based on the following voice search statistics, it seems like this trend is here to stay, which is why it’s essential to implement effective digital marketing strategies for voice search.  

Voice search or voice-activated search is simply an online query or search done using our voice instead of a traditional keyboard. As mics have become more accessible thanks to mobile devices, people consider making searches this way the top way to search online. Here are some statistics to back up this claim.

General Voice Search Statistics for 2022

• The voice industry is expected to be worth $40 billion by 2022.
• 62% of voice technology users still feel awkward when making a search in public.
• 43% of voice-enabled device owners use voice search to shop, and 51% to research products.
• 51% of consumers use voice search to look for restaurants.
• 28% of consumers immediately call the business they used voice search to find.
• 55% of people aged 13–18 use voice search on mobile every day.
• 41% of smart speaker owners feel companionship with these devices.
• 132 million Americans will use a voice-activated assistant device at least once a month in 2021.
• 72% of those interacting with voice technology do so through a digital assistant.
• In 2017, for their holiday shopping, 1 in 4 shoppers used a voice assistant, statistics show.

Voice Search Usage 

The driving factor behind voice search trends in 2021 is the number of times this technology is used daily, weekly, monthly, and annually. Thanks to the increasing number of voice searches being made, app and tech developers are taking more notice and making products that can adequately support this feature. Find some of the most compelling stats and figures below.

1. Voice search stats show that 62% of voice technology users still feel awkward when making a search in public.

(Source: Adobe)

Even though this technology has been around for a while, the results of Adobe’s 2020 voice search survey seem to indicate that most of us are still not comfortable giving voice commands to our devices when surrounded by other people.

Of course, that’s not the only issue with this technology. For instance, 57% of respondents said they would use voice search more often if the accuracy was better.

2. 72% of those interacting with voice technology do so through a digital assistant.

(Source: Microsoft)

While Cortana, Google Assistant, Alexa, and Siri have been the most common answers of the respondents in a 2019 Microsoft survey, 35% of them mentioned using smart home speakers for voice search, and 31% issued voice commands to their car. 

Google voice search statistics show that these numbers are not surprising since 91% of the total internet users worldwide are mobile internet users, meaning that these digital assistants are widely available.

3. By 2020, 30% of web browsing was expected to be screenless.

(Source: Gartner / Econsultancy)

At least that’s what a Gartner report predicted back in 2016. 

Even though this has since been repeated countless times and has even been taken as a statement of fact instead of a simple forecast, as Econsultancy points out, the trends in the industry seem to have gone the other way. In other words, even though the actual percentage is not available, it is quite likely to be lower.

4. 65% of smart speaker owners can’t imagine what it’d be like without this technology.

(Source: GeoMarketing)

According to a survey, 65% of smart speaker users have become so used to voice-activated Google search and Amazon Echo that they can’t imagine going back to the days when they had to type in all their queries. Our heavy reliance on smart speakers only confirms the power of this search trend. 

5. 72% of smart speaker owners use these devices daily.

(Source: Think with Google)

Smart speakers can be used for various purposes. Voice-enabled devices can help you out in the kitchen, but you can also use them when writing code, shopping, or looking for a restaurant. 

As tech and app developers continue to improve this technology, the number of people using these devices is likely to increase even further.

6. 41% of smart speaker owners feel companionship with their device.

(Source: Think with Google)

Among those who use Google, Cortana, or Siri, statistics show that there’s a significant percentage of those who consider their device more than just another piece of tech. For 41% of the users, it can feel almost as if they were talking to a helpful friend.

7. In 2017, voice assistants helped 1 in 4 shoppers with their holiday shopping.

(Source: WordStream)

When we’re shopping at big stores and we’ve already got our hands full, the last thing we want to do is take our phone out when we need to make a search. Luckily, this issue can be easily solved if you use a voice assistant.

Voice Search Demographics

Of course, not everyone is quite yet ready to embrace voice search in 2021, and some ambitious predictions made in the past about adoption rates of this technology are proving to be false. Still, some demographics are more likely to be interested in these devices than others. 

8. India has the highest usage of voice searches and voice commands with 58.1% of their internet users aged between 16 and 64 using voice interfaces monthly.

(Source: Datareportal)

These voice search statistics from January 2021 are hardly surprising since most web-related technologies have been booming in India for a while now. China is next with 55.7%, and it is followed by Indonesia, where 51.9% of internet users in this age bracket use voice technology on a monthly basis.

9. 51% of millennials have used a voice assistant to make an online purchase at least once in their life.

(Source: CSA)

Millennials lead the way when it comes to taking advantage of voice-activated virtual assistants, such as Google, Siri, and Alexa, as statistics clearly illustrate. Gen X is not too far away with 45%, followed by baby boomers with 34%.

10. 55% of people aged 13–18 use voice search on mobile every day.

(Source: Marketing Dive)

Some age groups are just more focused on their handheld devices than others. That explains why 55% of 13 to 18-year-olds use the voice search function on their mobile devices daily. Marketers could use voice search stats such as these to their advantage, knowing which demographics to target first.

11. 61% of those aged 25–64 who already use a voice device intend to use it even more in the future.

(Source: PwC)

Some 30% of people in this group believe they’ll keep using this technology as much as they have been up to that point, while 9% think they’ll be using it less. 

For comparison, 57% of those aged 18–24 years expect they will be making more voice searches in the future than they currently are. Still, the latest internet statistics show that ignoring voice searches is no longer an option.

12. According to voice search statistics, 2 in 5 adults use voice search at least once per day.

(Source: WordStream)

Adults use search engines for a variety of purposes. It could be for a recipe they need or a job they hope to find. Because of their persistent and changing needs, they tend to look for more efficient ways to search online. Hence, around 40% of adults now use voice search at least once every day.

13. Around 90 million Americans own a smart speaker.

(Source: Voicebot.ai)

Smart speakers are becoming a common household item. In fact, smart speaker statistics indicate that around 90 million Americans own one. This includes familiar items such as Amazon Echo, Apple HomePod, and Google Home.

14. 132 million Americans will use a voice-activated assistant device at least once a month in 2021.

(Source: Statista)

From 2015 onwards, we’ve seen an influx of new voice-activated devices from major brands like Samsung, Apple, and even Amazon. As the devices grew more sophisticated, people used them more. In 2021, an estimated 132 million Americans will likely be using these devices at least once a month.

15. 45.5% of people who own smart speakers keep them in the bedroom.

(Source: Voicebot.ai)

According to Google voice search data, a number of people also keep these devices in the living room (43.2%), while 41.5% like having smart speakers in the kitchen. 

The bedroom is also the most popular second location, i.e., smart speaker owners who are buying another set and don’t already have speakers there are most likely buying them for the bedroom.   

Voice Search Ecommerce Statistics

One common misconception about the voice search industry is that it’s solely focused on personal use. However, some people are using apps like Siri voice search to shop and make other transactions online. This new trend in e-commerce is emerging, and true enough, it will become more prominent in the future.

16. The industry is expected to balloon to $40 billion by 2022.

(Source: Wordstream)

As a new channel, the voice industry is becoming more and more lucrative. The predicted growth includes revenue and opportunities from various areas such as voice shopping accounts, voice-activated devices, and more.

17. 25% of smart speaker owners use these devices to purchase everyday household items.

(Source: Search Engine Journal)

Voice assistant statistics from the same study show that apparel and entertainment got 21.15% each,  while 19.94% of smart speaker owners use them to buy video games. While the exact numbers are not yet available, the Covid-19 pandemic is likely to have increased these percentages even further.

18. 62% of smart speaker owners are likely to make at least one purchase per month through these devices.

(Source: Think with Google)

Smart speakers are becoming a significant e-commerce channel, as well. Some 55% of US consumers have already used voice shopping to purchase goods online, while voice search trends indicate that 62% of US adults use smart speakers to make purchases online at least once a month.

19. 52% of smart speaker owners want to learn about deals and sales through their devices.

(Source: Think with Google)

Marketers could make use of helpful voice-activated search stats like this one. According to recent data, 52% of smart speaker owners are willing to learn about brand promotions through their devices. It means that marketers should get more aggressive with their marketing campaigns on voice.

20. 58% of those who shop using voice-activated speakers create a shopping list once a week.

(Source: Think with Google)

Today’s consumers are more informed and more discerning than ever. In fact, 58% of those who shop using voice-enabled devices also voice search products once a week that they can add to their shopping list.

21. 44% of voice-enabled device owners use their devices for shopping once a week.

(Source: Think with Google)

Voice devices offer hands-free searching from the convenience and comfort of our homes. As such, it’s no surprise that 44% of voice-enabled device owners shop using their devices at least once a week to buy household items, groceries, etc. 

Search Engine and Google Voice Searches 

Many consumers now rely on voice search to find anything they want to know through platforms like Google and Bing. This was one of the early uses of voice search, as people initially mostly focused on using the feature for this very purpose.

22. Google’s AI studied 2,865 romance novels to learn how to communicate less formally.

(Source: BuzzFeed)

Even with all the voice search facts that are currently available, people are still often surprised when they learn how well some smart speakers can “talk.” When it comes to Google, among other things, it made its AI read through 2,865 romance novels in order to learn how to adopt a conversational, informal tone. 

23. Almost 20% of voice search queries start from a set of 25 keywords.

(Source: Dialogtech)

It seems like people have common search habits when using voice. According to the search by voice statistics, almost 20% of voice search queries start with one of 25 set keywords. The top words are “how” with 8.64%, “what” with 5.01%, and “best” with 2.63%.

24. 51% of consumers use voice search to find restaurants.

(Source: BrightLocal)

Restaurants are getting more attention from voice search users as well. According to research, 51% of consumers prefer voice searching for restaurants they’re interested in. It’s the most commonly voice-searched business, beating out the likes of hotels and doctors.

25. 25% of searches made on the Windows 10 taskbar are voice searches.

(Source: WordStream)

Microsoft’s Windows 10 is also getting a huge chunk of the voice search action. Recent studies show that 25% of searches on the OS’s taskbar are made via voice. Analysts are expecting this to grow even more.

26. Smart speaker owners commonly make local voice searches.

(Source: BrightLocal)

Voice search trends clearly show that this technology is here to stay. In total, 76% of smart speaker owners search for local businesses at least once every week. Approximately 54% search for food and drink reservations, 46% for inquiries on price tags at local businesses, and 35% want to book a beauty appointment.

Voice Search for Business Statistics

Voice search has also brought consumers and companies closer together. The stats below will show how much voice has improved the consumer-business ecosystem in recent years.

27. The percentage of voice searches that result in the searcher calling the business is 28%.

(Source: BrightLocal)

Upon getting the results of a voice search about a business on Google or another platform, a consumer’s most common follow-up action is to contact it. This demonstrates how much direct interaction happens between consumers and businesses now thanks to voice search.

28. Businesses not using voice search optimization could lose at least 20% of potential business.

(Source: Cibirix)

Voice search SEO is an integral part of every business’s marketing strategy. As the most recent SEO statistics show, voice search adoption rates are steadily rising as the technology improves and consumers are becoming more comfortable with it.

29. The retention rate from phone calls is 28% higher than the web lead retention rate.

(Source: Dialogtech)

Marketers should primarily focus on encouraging phone calls from customers. According to some studies, the caller retention rate is 28% higher than the web lead retention rate. It looks like driving calls via voice search marketing is the better option for long-term profit.

Conclusion

Many trends come and go, but it seems like voice search is here to stay, and it hasn’t even peaked yet. Analysts are expecting the prevalence of voice search to expand further in the coming years, and marketers should use this as the chance to gain an edge over the competition. As these voice search statistics have shown, it’s becoming more and more common for people to choose talking over typing.