30% of Generation Z consumers shop by voice every week

Voice technology is revolutionizing consumer shopping behavior. A significant portion of the world’s population is adopting this modern convenience, especially young consumers.

In numbers

The 2024 PYMNTS Intelligence report “How the World Does Digital” surveyed more than 67,000 consumers from 11 countries representing approximately 50% of global GDP and examined their digital behavior across multiple facets of daily life.

The study shows that 17.9% of the total population uses voice technology to shop at least once a week. However, a closer look at the generational distribution reveals a stark contrast in the adoption rate.

Generation Z is leading the way, with 30.4% of its members making weekly purchases using voice. Known for their use of digital devices and penchant for seamless experiences, this tech-savvy group is setting the tone for future consumer behavior.

Millennials aren’t far behind, with 27.6% using voice shopping weekly. As digital natives who came of age with the rise of the internet and smartphones, millennials have integrated voice technology into their busy lives and use its convenience to streamline tasks.

For Generation X, the adoption rate drops significantly to 14.9%. This generation, which stands between the pre-digital and digital ages, shows a more cautious approach to new technologies. While many have adopted digital tools, their use of voice technology lags behind younger generations.

The gap widens even further among baby boomers, with only 6.8 percent of them using voice technology for their weekly shopping. This generation, often slower to adopt new technologies, seems less inclined to switch from traditional shopping methods to voice-controlled commands.

A deeper insight

In fact, voice commerce is gaining traction. In a conversation with PYMNTS published in March, Christian Mentz, CRO at Cerence, explained that voice functionality has transformed from a “taskmaster” service that merely surfaces information to a more intuitive, human-like experience, thanks to the context awareness and natural language processing (NLP) capabilities of the latest artificial intelligence models.

Take the restaurant industry, for example. Jamie Richardson, vice president of marketing and public relations at White Castle, said in an interview with PYMNTS that he expects to see a rise in voice automation in restaurants this year.

“(In 2024) I think we’re going to see rapid advances, I think consumer adoption is increasing and the quality of experience is improving for both team members and customers,” Richardson said. “If there’s an acceleration principle at play here that any of us have ever suspected, it’s truer now than ever.”