Voice ordering is one of the most disruptive shopping trends

Branding is a vital part of any company’s marketing strategy. Until recently, visual presence has been one of the largest, if not the largest, factors in a company’s brand — but Amazon Alexa and other voice assistants are drastically changing the ways consumers encounter products. Graeme Pitkethly, chief financial officer of Unilever (owner of such brands as Dove, Lipton, and Axe) recently told the Wall Street Journal, “Of all the disruptions that are taking place in all the things technology is bringing into our space, voice is among the most disruptive.” Companies spend big money on buying up shelf space in the stores of leading retailers, to ensure their products are at the forefront of a consumer’s shopping experience. Yet increasingly, customers are no longer putting themselves in front of physical products before purchasing them.