HP Innovation Journal Issue 09: Spring 2018 | Page 61

Special Report
The blending of the digital and physical worlds is evolving
from a wide range of parallel services to a truly seamless
experience. The digital voice assistant (DVA) device in its
stand-alone form factor is leading the way in this devel-
opment, as it makes services more easily accessible. A
key question for the industry is: How well will companies
be able to develop and offer these blended experiences to
their customers?
Accenture sought to answer this and other questions
through a survey of 21,000 online consumers in 19 coun-
tries. The research quantifies consumers’ device, content
and service purchasing and usage patterns; preferences
and trust in service providers; and appetite for new
technologies and a connected lifestyle. Insights from the
2018 Accenture Digital Consumer Survey reveal four
key findings.
1. Stand-alone DVA devices are leading the evolution
toward blended digital and physical experiences.
Year-on-year growth in ownership of stand-alone DVA
devices is greater than 50% in all countries surveyed,
regardless of the availability of local language services.
If stated purchase plans hold, DVA device ownership will
reach one-third of the online population in China, India,
the U.S., Brazil, and Mexico by the end of 2018. While
stand-alone DVA devices are not yet as widespread as
embedded DVAs, those who own them use them more
often: 75% of stand-alone DVA users use their device
daily or weekly compared to 69% of those using embedded
DVAs. Stand-alone DVA users also report higher satisfac-
tion levels.
Two-thirds of stand-alone DVA users agree they use
their smartphone for fewer activities now that they have
a stand-alone DVA, particularly in India, the U.S., and
Brazil (Figure 1). This trend is particularly prevalent when
users are in fixed locations, but for “on-the-go” use cases,
the mobile device still dominates. The voice interface takes
the ability to blend the physical and digital, stationary and
mobile worlds to a new level when considering the way
consumers access content and services. Device adoption
may be the easy part; keeping consumers engaged could
be more challenging. The winners will be the ones who
can tailor an app to provide a truly integrated digital and
physical experience.
Figure 1
2. Interest in connected experiences extends
to self-driving vehicles.
Although commercially available self-driving vehicles
are not expected to be market-ready in the near term,
survey findings indicate that consumers are ready to
embrace the concept. More than half of online consum-
ers—especially men under 55 years of age with higher
incomes—are willing to be a passenger in a self-driving
vehicle, despite some concerns over safety (Figure 2). One-
third of survey respondents prefer tech brands as their
supplier for self-driving vehicles with a preference for tech
suppliers strongest in emerging markets like India,
Brazil, and Mexico.
Consumer interest declines as advanced driver
assistance system features become more autonomous,
indicating many may be more comfortable taking
incremental steps toward relinquishing driver control.
Nonetheless, 53% report interest in fully autonomous
vehicles now. The large acceptance of this seemingly high-
risk technology blended into a physical world experience
indicates consumers will integrate some level of risk into
their lives to achieve an experience they deem valuable.
Multitasking is seen as a key advantage of autono-
mous vehicles, and the amount of time that is freed when
consumers don’t need to drive is massive. Important
questions will be how that time will be used and what
companies will best leverage the monetization potential
of this captive audience.
61