8:23 am, April 29, 2019
Motors.co.uk has added voice search functionality to its website, enabling used car buyers to search the latest stock more conveniently than ever before.
This latest enhancement is in response to growing consumer demand for voice recognition technology when using mobile devices, digital assistants and smart speakers. Market research shows that 62 per cent of Brits are already using, or are happy to use, voice-operated devices for shopping, controlling music, searching the web and finding the latest news.
The voice search function icon on the Motors.co.uk homepage is activated when a user holds down the red ‘record’ button and speaks into their microphone.
The application registers the user’s speech and converts it into text. It is then run against a machine learning model that matches its intent to the make, model, colour, price or transmission of the car in order to generate the correct search results.
‘At Motors.co.uk we see a huge opportunity to embrace voice search as part of our wider mission to better connect buyers with dealers,’ said Shane Horsfall, Motors.co.uk’s head of product.
‘Consumers are increasingly using voice search to find information and services online and we believe this new functionality will enable them to easily search for their next used car purchase simply by speaking to their devices,’ he said.
The service is currently in advanced beta testing with Motors.co.uk building an extensive library of search terms enabling complicated requests to be processed, helping buyers to search for their desired vehicle with ease and precision.
‘We’re learning valuable insights from our voice search data. For example, there is a definite consumer desire to search for cars based on their country of origin, with ‘German cars’ being one of the most frequently requested search items,’ he said.
‘As we begin to gather more data like this, we hope to be able to discover trends in consumer wants, needs and buying patterns so we can help them find their ideal vehicle using the simplest methods,’ said Horsfall.
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