WASHINGTON—As more credit unions allow voice-activated banking, such as through Amazon’s Echo, the new question becomes will more consumers use the digital assistants on their phones?
While much attention has been paid to the launch of voice-activated standalone speakers, the technology underpinning such devices is filtering to consumers in a number of other ways. And chief among them are smartphones, according to a new study from Pew Research Center.
The nonprofit organization polled U.S. adult internet users in May 2017 to see how they used virtual assistants. It found that, out of those who used the services, 42% did so via a smartphone, more than any other type of device, eMarketer reported.
Significantly less used a virtual assistant on a PC or tablet. And even fewer, just 8%, used a standalone device, a category that included gadgets like the Echo and Google Home, according to Pew, eMarketer reported.