What: Big Tech is developing tools to make real voice commerce, or ambient shopping, a reality.

Why it is important: The concept, which envisions people interacting with technology without chaining themselves to a phone or computer screen, once sounded far-fetched. But it’s becoming material through devices like smart speakers and voice-equipped smart displays from Google, Amazon and Apple.

Amazon, the market leader for smart speakers and displays, clocks billions of voice interactions a week from Alexa customers, more than half of whom use their Echoes to shop. The company is informed by its vast e-commerce efforts and its multitude of devices, from its previous Echo Look fashion selfie camera to the latest family of devices.

As voice commerce stands today, it’s most relevant for categories like groceries. That’s only logical, as people often use Alexa or Google Assistant devices to do things, like set cooking timers. But according to AWS, this footprint is expanding. Echo devices have landed in hotels and even surprising places, like gas stations.

Voice tech for retail became even more interesting during the pandemic, as it offered another route for contactless payments. Shopping for fashion by voice will likely take years to become a reality, at least in a meaningful way. But even so, it’s clear that the vision for it is already here.

Voice to commerce