Consumer’s Decisions under Voice Shopping Characteristics
(A2019-8105)

AUTHORS

Ingo Halbauer, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT); Martin Klarmann, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

KEYWORDS

Voice shopping; Brand equity; Branding

ABSTRACT

Every fifth US-household owns a smart speaker that enables it to use voice shopping which adds up to a huge sale potential (Perez 2018). However there is no research how consumers decide for products at voice shopping. We aim to give a first insight. Therefore we develop five characteristics that distinguish voice shopping from other shopping modes. We then conduct six experiments with over 600 participants to examine how those characteristics affect the purchase of products based on their level of brand equity. Results provide evidence for two, partly contradictory effects that influence consumer. Higher search costs in voice increase the probability that one of the first presented products is bought. Higher perceived risk in voice shopping increases the probability to choose high equity brands. If high equity brands are presented first, the two effects jointly create a favorable environment for high equity brands. If high equity brands are presented later outcomes are more complex.