Voice Technology Apps Face Return User Issues

The hopeful summary on voice technology from Digiday ends on a somewhat low note: It's hard to get return users on voice apps. In fact, only 3 percent of those who used Google home app skills in late December were actively using these skills in the second week. Holiday effect? Maybe. This trend signals a utility problem. Technologies take off because they help us save time, money. Or they entertain us. No matter what the creative wrap around a voice technology might be, it needs to do these things efficiently or it will not stick. 

The One Trend That Will Define 2012: Hyper-personalization

Behind voice assistant Siri, facial recognition technology and apps that help mobile users find local deals, there is one mega trend for 2012: we'll give up more privacy to get more personalized digital services. Mimics, gestures and voice (fundamentals of face-to-face communications) will enhance app, game and social networking experiences.

Voice: In addition to voice-enabled assistants, our phone, chat and social networking experiences will merge. Skype's Facebook streaming and Facebook's phone will go to the next level, bringing digital conversations closer to offline conversations.

Facial recognition: More advanced social media users will give up their privacy to benefit from facial recognition technology while enjoying photos and games online.

Local deals for 'me': We'll see the next generaion of Groupon, Living Social and Amazon deals that offer customized, local discounts to shoppers based on past purchase habits. Frequent and loyal shoppers will find seemingly better deals based on where they are, what they typically buy and their price limits.

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