Alexa, why are voice-controlled devices booming in Switzerland?
More than a third of Swiss use voice user interfaces (VUIs) on their smartphones, computers and smart speakers – with the figure expected to double within a year.
Speech functions are already used by 37% of Swiss – 15% use them every day – mostly to discover and compare products, particularly electronics, household items and entertainment, according to a representative study on VUIs by consultants Farner and the University of Lucerne, published on Wednesday.
In future, respondents said they wanted to use voice commands more often when dealing with household appliances or when doing the shopping.
In a statementExternal link, Farner cited US market researcher ComScore that estimates that by 2020 voice commands would power 50% of all searches in the United States. More and more voice-controlled devices, such as the Apple HomePod, Google Home and Amazon Echo, are everyday household items in this market.
Corporate consequences
The increasing use of VUIs also has implications for corporate marketing and communication. “Companies and brands must learn how to speak, if in the coming years most search requests will be done by voice,” the authors wrote.
Until now, brand managers and creatives have focused on the visual appearance of brands, they added. But with the spread of language-based technologies, the relationship between companies and target groups was changing considerably.
“The greater the spread of VUIs, the more brands have to find a voice that fits their identity,” the authors concluded.
More
More
Progress toward a ‘digital Switzerland’ is advancing, but slowly
This content was published on
Even though the country has acknowledged it’s time to improve digital services and education, we still have a long way to go.
Swiss money laundering office registers record number of reports
This content was published on
The Money Laundering Reporting Office Switzerland (MROS) registered a record number of reports of suspicious activity last year.
Two teens accused of planning terror attack released from custody
This content was published on
The Schaffhausen judiciary has released the two teenagers from custody who allegedly planned bomb attacks in Switzerland.
OECD: Sluggish economic activity slowing growth in Switzerland
This content was published on
Sluggish economic activity at the start of the year is weighing on growth in Switzerland, with GDP expected to fall to 1.1% in 2024.
Report finds mistakes which led to Swiss government data breach
This content was published on
Mistakes were made by both the government and internet company Xplain in the case of a criminal cyber-attack on the Bern-based IT business.
Swiss government wants better gender balance in federal administration
This content was published on
New Swiss government personnel management targets say there must be even more female managers in the federal administration.
Swiss national science foundation funded over 5,000 projects in 2023
This content was published on
In 2023, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) provided a total of CHF961 million worth of funding towards research projects.
Switzerland invites 160 delegations to June Ukraine peace talks
This content was published on
Russia is currently not among the delegations invited to talks aimed at helping bring about peace in the conflict between Moscow and Ukraine.
Survey: air travel most popular way to go on holidays for Swiss
This content was published on
Despite the climate crisis, flying is the most popular mode of transport for private travel – particularly among young, urban and high-income travellers.
Swiss government to use phone data to identify asylum seekers
This content was published on
From April 2025, authorities plan to be able to analyse data from mobile phones, computers and other data carriers to identify asylum seekers.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Amazon reduces online offer for Swiss customers
This content was published on
Shoppers in Switzerland will no longer be able to buy items from the US Amazon website due to recent changes to Swiss VAT law.
This content was published on
Bankers often talk up the potential of AI to revolutionise an industry that has struggled since the financial crisis. Is this realistic?
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.