Research Insight | Vivid Imagery in Product Descriptions Can Increase Voice Shopping Purchases
As consumers increasingly rely on smart speakers to search for, evaluate, and purchase products, brands must adapt to compete in audio-based environments where it’s harder for consumers to process product details and remember brand names. A Journal of Interactive Marketing study shows that vivid, image-evoking descriptions substantially enhance consumer responses—including purchases—in voice shopping environments.
For example, imagine a consumer asking a voice assistant for a box of pralines. A standard message might neutrally list several product attributes (e.g., “chocolate with a filling that can vary in flavor or texture”). In contrast, an imagery-rich message that invites the consumer to visualize “heavenly pralines, standing for unique enjoyment and a satisfied smile,” is more engaging, easier to remember, and leads to improved consumer outcomes, especially when kept short and focused.
As brands compete for visibility in voice-based environments where only one recommendation may be heard at a time, crafting messages that evoke vivid mental images becomes a powerful tool for differentiation.
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What You Need to Know
- Using vivid, concrete, high-imagery language in voice-based product descriptions can significantly boost brand stimulation, brand recall, brand attitudes, and even product purchase decisions.
- Marketers should design auditory messages that stimulate mental imagery on voice shopping platforms (e.g., Amazon Alexa Skills) to differentiate their offerings and improve recommendation acceptance.
- Keeping descriptions focused and limiting the number of product attributes listed can prevent cognitive overload, ensuring that listeners retain key brand information.
Abstract
Voice shopping is on the rise. However, with the absence of visual stimuli, consumers face difficulties in processing brand and product information during the shopping process. Drawing on the load theory of attention and the literature on imagery and information processing, the authors conducted two studies to examine how the level of imagery in auditory product descriptions and the number of product attributes shape consumer responses. The results indicate that high-imagery descriptions increase brand stimulation, which in turn improves brand attitude, purchase intention, and actual product purchase. Additionally, the imagery level of an auditory product description positively influences brand recall directly. These results provide new insights into how auditory message design shapes consumer evaluation and decision-making in voice-based shopping contexts.
Lea Sollfrank, Sophie Feldner, and Ju-Young Kim, “Brand and Product Presentation in Voice Shopping: Investigating the Effects of Message-Design Adaptations,” Journal of Interactive Marketing. doi:10.1177/10949968251410949.