The rise of virtual assistants may end the need for online searches

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“Can I say what it’s about?” If you’ve ever had difficulty getting through a protective secretary, just imagine all your customers having one.

Apple’s latest version of mobile OS, unveiled in San Francisco earlier this month, included two significant innovations.

The first is tools for developers to create content-blocking software in response to users fed up with aggravating ads, pesky pop-ups and repugnant retargeting.

The internet has suffered the tragedy of the commons. The consequence may be a future in which only white-listed companies will be allowed through the gates, or large companies which can pay ad blockers to lift the barrier. Small brands may be shut out.

The second is an upgraded Siri, Apple’s personal-assistant technology. Initially underestimated on account of unreliable voice recognition, such assistants (including Google Now, Microsoft’s Cortana, Amazon’s Echo and Facebook’s M) signal a move away from search to suggestion.

Multichannel challenge

Retailers have so far interpreted the multichannel challenge as “be wherever the customer is”. But that implies the customer senses a need, goes online, makes a search or opens an app, and begins a transaction. None of those activities is likely to take place when virtual assistants realise their potential.

“I see the kids are coming home later and bringing a friend. There’s nothing for tea. Shall I order from Dominos or get Instacart to deliver groceries? You have some coupons.”

Personalised, contextual suggestion requires the virtual assistant to scan your messages and calendar and integrate with different services and with the internet of things.

It awaits further improvements in artificial intelligence, and may face concerns over privacy. But it is likely to happen and when it does, the world wide web, in the sense of a place to be searched, will disappear.

The customer will live in a world of continuous suggest and assist. And, of course, the assistant’s true master is not the user, but Apple or Google or Facebook.

So when retailers can neither advertise nor expect customers to reach for them, how can they be sure of maintaining customer relationships?

First, domain expertise will still count. Wiggle’s deep cycling knowledge may be sought out in preference to Google’s ability to assemble advice from many sources.

Wider role

But retailers will need to widen their role: not just offering products but assisting with customers’ lives.

A supermarket retailer cannot bank on an order being placed, but will need to integrate with the household’s meal planning through recipes, diets, budget help and so on.

Retailers will need to understand context. Depending on time, location and device used, what is likely to interest the customer?

A standalone app will not be enough. Retailers need to think about when their content can be of use, and make it available elsewhere.

And they may need to ‘deep link’ with other services to enable customers to complete their everyday tasks.

This is a very different world. But when the secretary controls access to the boss, you’d better know how to charm them, and to get around them.