The number of shoppers using voice-assisted technology to research and place orders has jumped 83 per cent in the last year, according to new data.

A survey of 4,500 online shoppers by cloud commerce firm Episerver found that consumers are increasingly turning to connected devices such as Amazon Alexa and Google Home.

However, the number of shoppers making frequent purchases via voice is still just 17 per cent - up from 11 per cent in 2017 - suggesting that consumers remain wary of completing their shopping experience in this way, due to security concerns over data and payment details, with most preferring to use a website to confirm their order.

A total of 43 per cent of consumers cited a lack of security features as the number one reason they won’t make more purchases via voice-enabled devices this year – followed by a lack of product images (35 per cent) and difficulty comparing products (33 per cent).

Social media is also becoming a popular route to online purchases, with 63 per cent of those surveyed saying they often click through to e-commerce sites from these platforms and a third saying they make a direct purchase as a result.

The report also found that over half of online shoppers (52 per cent) who use social media have clicked on an influencer’s post, and just under a third of those shoppers (31 per cent) have made a direct purchase from the post.

Ed Kennedy, senior director of commerce at Episerver, said: “Where voice commerce currently lacks, social commerce excels - our data indicates social media drives purchases and has massive sway over younger consumers.

“It has evolved from networks’ early testing of primitive ‘buy now’ buttons to a native part of people’s everyday lives in which scrolling quickly turns into shopping. Retailers looking to prioritise efforts for the remainder of the year need to look at what is currently working and who is helping drive awareness and ultimately purchases.”

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