Digital Agencies
Voice technology market to register 2.8X growth by 2022: WATConsult
MUMBAI: In the past few years, India has witnessed a rapid rise in its internet consumption, leading to the emergence of voice technology and the ways in which it is consumed across the country. There is a dire need to understand how the audiences interact and perceive voice technology with an increase in its adoption and growing usage across India. From voice-assistant-enabled feature phones to connected devices like Alexa and Google Home, the ecosystem is taking an encouraging turn, and thus, opening up many more avenues for brands and businesses.
WATConsult, the globally awarded hybrid digital agency from the house of Dentsu Aegis Network India (DAN), under its market research division, Recogn, has launched its latest report, titled ‘Voice Technology in India: Now and Future – Consumer and business perspective’. The main objective of this report is to share deep insights on voice-tech usage patterns, to consult brands and to help businesses make better decisions. The report focuses on the market of voice technology in India, the perception of voice assistants, home management with the use of voice and data security concerns. It also highlights the usage patterns of voice -tech across most-used voice assistants including shopping recommendations.
The agency has integrated with Google Assistant for the launch of this report and will be made available with a bot command.
Below are some of the key findings from the report:
· Speech and voice recognition technology market stands at Rs. 149.95 Cr as of December 2019
· It is expected to grow at 40.47% to reach Rs. 210.63 Cr by the end of 2020
· 76% of the users are familiar with the speech and voice recognition technology
· On an average, users are interacting with voice assistants on various devices for at least a year’s time
· The users residing in Top Metros have been using the voice assistants for around more than a year
· 60% of the users give voice commands on their smartphones. Users of the Google Assistant use it for results on their queries and check for navigation while travelling
· Even at this early stage, the majority of users (49%) prefer a combo of speaking and typing that occurs frequently, especially on phones. 38% of users prefer to speak their queries aloud
· On a daily basis, voice assistants are frequently used to listen to music (65%), get daily news and updates (64%)
· When it comes to usage patterns, most of the users search for queries online and are comfortable to use assistants indoors
· Google Assistant is perceived to be smart, intelligent and helpful in search queries
· Alexa is perceived as a reliable assistant in terms of managing smart home devices and usability by its users
· Majority of the users have considered product/service recommendations from the voice assistant and shopped online
· 46% of the users feel that voice assistant on their devices are always recording and listening. The users are conscious about their privacy and feel that the tech companies are not safe. They do not feel secure in terms of their data being used elsewhere.
WATConsult CEO Heeru Dingra said, “We are glad to bring across our latest report in the space of voice technology and have for the first time integrated our report with Google Assistant. Voice marketing has indeed changed the dynamics of the digital marketing landscape and is growing at a fast pace. This report is a one-stop store for brands and industry leaders to understand the growing crescendos of the voice-tech market, giving them a detailed analysis of user behaviour and patterns to abide by.”
BENGALURU: For years, creative teams have learned to live with ambiguity. Vague comments, last-minute changes, feedback that arrives without context, clarity, or conviction. It became part of the job – something teams worked around rather than getting it solved.
But as we head into 2026, that tolerance is wearing thin.
Creative work today moves faster, scales wider, and involves more stakeholders than before. Teams are producing more content across more formats, often with distributed collaborators and tighter timelines. In this environment, guesswork is no longer a harmless inconvenience. It’s a cost – to time, to budgets, and to creative mindspace.
The real problem isn’t feedback, it’s how it’s given
Most creative professionals you see today will tell you they’re not against feedback. In fact, they rely on it. Good feedback sharpens ideas, strengthens execution, and pushes work forward. The problem is ‘unclear’ feedback. When someone says “this doesn’t feel right” without context, they aren’t just revising – they’re basically decoding. They’re guessing what the problem might be, trying different directions, and burning time in the process. Multiply that by a few stakeholders and a few rounds, and suddenly days disappear.
In 2026, when teams are expected to deliver faster without compromising quality, interpretation is a luxury most can’t afford.
Scale has changed rverything
Creative projects used to be smaller and simpler. A designer, a manager, maybe one client contact. Feedback loops were short, even if they weren’t perfect.
Today, the same project might involve internal marketing teams, agencies, freelancers, brand reviewers, and regional teams. Everyone has a say. Everyone leaves comments. And often, those comments don’t agree. More people reviewing work means alignment matters more than ever. Clear feedback isn’t just about being nice to creative teams, it’s about keeping projects moving when complexity increases.
Guesswork quietly wears teams down
One of the less talked-about impacts of unclear feedback is what it does to people.
When feedback is vague or contradictory, creatives second-guess their decisions. They hesitate. They overwork. They keep extra time buffers “just in case.” Over time, confidence drops. Ownership fades. Work becomes safer, not stronger. Creative energy gets spent on managing uncertainty instead of pushing ideas forward. And in an industry already grappling with burnout, unclear feedback adds unnecessary mental load.
Actionable feedback is a shared skill
Clear feedback doesn’t mean controlling creative decisions or dictating every detail. It means being specific enough that someone knows what to do next.
Actionable feedback answers three basic questions:
What exactly needs attention?
Why does it matter?
What outcome are we aiming for?
This applies whether you’re reviewing a video frame, a design layout, or a copy draft. The clearer the feedback, the fewer follow-ups it creates. In 2026, teams that treat feedback as a skill and not an afterthought, will move faster with less friction.
Tools shape behaviour (whether we admit it or not)
The way feedback is delivered is often dictated by the tools teams use. Comments buried in long email threads, messages split across chat apps, or notes detached from the actual work all contribute to confusion.
When feedback lives outside the work, context often gets lost. When it’s disconnected from versions and timelines, decisions get questioned. When it’s scattered, accountability disappears. More teams are starting to realise that feedback problems aren’t just communication issues, they’re workflow issues. How work moves between people matters just as much as the work itself.
From Opinions To Alignment
One of the biggest shifts happening in creative teams is a move away from purely opinion-driven feedback. Instead of “I like this” or “I don’t,” teams are asking better questions:
● Does this meet the brief?
● Does this solve the problem?
● Does this align with the goal?
This change reduces unnecessary back-and-forth and helps feedback feel less personal and more productive. It also makes decisions easier to explain and defend. As creative work becomes more strategic, feedback has to support that shift.
2026 Is About Fewer Loops, Not Faster Loops
There’s a misconception that speed means moving through feedback cycles faster. In reality, the most creative teams aren’t just accelerating loops, they’re reducing them. Clear, actionable feedback upfront leads to fewer revisions later. Clear approval stages prevent last-minute surprises. Clear decisions stop work from circling endlessly.
In 2026, efficiency won’t come from working harder or longer. It will come from designing workflows that respect creative time and attention.
Ending guesswork is a mindset change
Ultimately, ending creative guesswork isn’t just about better tools or processes. It’s about mindset. It’s about recognising that clarity is an act of respect – for the work, for the people doing it, for the time invested and for the mindspace used. It’s about moving from “figure it out” to “here’s what we’re aiming for.”
Creative teams that embrace this shift will find themselves not only delivering faster, but also enjoying the process more. And in an industry built on imagination, that might be the most valuable outcome of all.
