1 in 4 consumers use voice to make DTC brand purchases

Even though voice is a relatively new platform, one out of four DTC brand customers are using the technology to make purchases, with 5% doing so often and 20% using it some of the time, according to a new study.

The research—conducted by AI-powered commerce experience platform Nosto, in partnership with ecommerce marketing platform Yotpo and owned-marketing platform Klaviyo—is made up of insights from 1,100 consumers in the U.S. who have relationships with one of the top 50 leading direct-to-consumer brands in the country. Some of these companies, mostly within the fashion and beauty sectors, include Warby Parker, Bonobos, Harry’s, Everlane, Brandless, Glossier and more.

The top purchase decision drivers of these top 50 DTC brands are: reviews (76%), discounts (70%) and photos (61%), the research reveals. More than half (63%) of people surveyed said they are more likely to buy from brands that integrate social proof on their own websites, such as including content from other customers on social media on the brand site.

Additionally, the study shows that 46% of consumers notice product recommendations on both brands’ websites and in emails, but only 21% find these recommendations relevant.

"Social proof, reviews, images and email all need to feed into the overall goal of making the shopping experience relevant and easy for customers," said Jim Lofgren, Nosto’s CEO, in a statement. "While the analysis suggests DTC brands are having some success in this, it also points to areas where more can be done to improve relevance."

The survey also revealed that consumers tend to interact with DTC brands on multiple channels, but the most popular choice for digital interactions is the brands’ own website (53%), followed by email (12%) and social media (11%).

Only 8% of people surveyed interact with DTC brands on native apps, with even fewer doing do through SMS or direct mail (1%). And brick-and-mortar isn’t quite dead yet, with only 14% saying they prefer to interact with their favorite DTC companies in stores.