The World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) launches the “Voice Coalition.” The new group is designed to help brands understand more about the impact voice will have on the way consumers select brands.

WFA  said in a statement that the partnership has been founded with Fast-Up Partners (FUP), in which the group has been created after understanding how consumers use voice-enabled assistants to guide their purchase decisions.

“It will aim to improve knowledge and understanding for brand marketers across all voice platforms, helping them benefit from this exciting new communications channel,” the statement said.

The launch coincides with the new research conducted for the WFA by the independent research group BVA into current consumer behaviors among owners of Alexa devices in the UK and the US.

“But when quizzed on upcoming priorities,55 percent of WFA members say voice will be big – and on par with influencer marketing. Given voice commerce goes well beyond marketing, it’s going to be of major strategic importance to companies going forward,”  said Raja Rajamannar, CMCO of Mastercard and WFA President.

According to the research conducted by BVA into the current consumer behaviors,  35 percent of those surveyed use voice to check prices, while 30 percent use it to add items to their shopping list and 18 percent use it to add items to a cart/basket. Meanwhile, fifteen percent use it to make a purchase.