It’s 2020, whoa. We are stepping into a new decade. If we look back over the past decade, a lot has changed in the fitness, spa, salon, and wellness industry. A majority of businesses are using online booking platforms, we have seen the rise of mobile apps, and automated marketing tools are becoming more accessible to small businesses.
According to recent research by Twilio, “Only 12% of consumers prefer a company’s mobile app for receiving communications.”
At TrueLark, we’re looking to the future. In the next 2-3 years, we are going to be seeing a big shift in how your clients use smartphones. The future is in “voice”. Allowing consumers to book classes and appointments through speech to text and smart speakers.
According to TechCrunch, “standalone apps for smartphones and tablets made by independent developers will decline. This will come about because many of the simpler interactions we use apps for today will become outsourced to voice assistants. And this, in turn, will also reduce our screen time.”
Facts about Voice
- Current statistics show that 41% of adults use voice search at least once per day.
- A 2018 study from BrightLocal found that 58% of consumers used voice search to find a local business in 2017.
- 52% of smart speaker owners are interested in receiving info about deals, sales, and promotions from brands. Consumers are open to building relationships with brands via voice channels, like text-to-voice (Source: Google).
- 71% of wearable device owners predict they’ll perform more voice searches in the future. Though wearable users are the most optimistic, tablet and speaker users are not far behind (Source: PwC).
- Up to 43% of voice-enabled device owners use their device to shop. Consumers across age groups are using their devices to assist with making purchases — a 41% increase in 2018 alone. (Source: Narvar).
What can your Fitness Studio, Salon, Or Spa do about it?
One of the simplest ways to get started is by making sure your clients have a way to use voice to access your scheduling system and your customer support. Can your clients book while they are driving in their cars? While on a run? While walking down the street? Can they book using their voice without having to call you?
Hiring a virtual assistant like Sahsa from TrueLark, not only supports your business’s customer service and operations but creates a simple, seamless booking experience for your clients if they call, text, or use speech to text on any smart device.
