Investigating Intergenerational dynamics in voice search behavior: implications for brand engagement

Voice search behavior is becoming increasingly pervasive, driven by advancements in artificial intelligence (AI; Ford et al., 2023). Users now rely on voice commands for a variety of tasks, such as navigating while driving, setting timers, controlling smart home devices, and searching for products via platforms like Google. Our homes are increasingly equipped with smart speakers (Lee and Cho, 2020, Ford et al., 2023) whose global sales continue to grow and are projected to exceed 350 million units by 2029 (Statista, 2023). Virtual assistants such as Alexa, Siri, Cortana, and Amazon Echo— accessible through smartphones and other digital devices—enable users to search for information and complete purchases using voice commands. Despite this incessant use of AI in our daily life, scholars report a growing feeling of skepticism and fear toward technology-based tools as pervasive elements of our life (Zhou et al., 2024). This leads to a need for a better and deeper understanding of the underlying behavioral dynamics, especially of the youngest generation, such as Gen Alpha as they are primarily relying on voice search behavior: do they embrace totally AI tools – such as voice search behavior – or do they show some typologies of reluctance in such technologies as older generations? Through a mixed method approach this study aims at shedding light on the intergenerational dynamics in relying on voice search behavior and its implications on engagement with the brand.