Check it Out: Just Say Buy …

No, this isn't how retailers get shoppers to smile for a photo. It's a nod to what could be the next big thing in the e-commerce industry: voice-enabled websites.

Clear your throat, put down your mouse, take your fingers off the touchscreen; retail is primed to be the next industry to use the spoken word as the interface between consumers and technology. Driving this innovation in large part is the prevalence of smartphones today and, in turn, the growth of mobile commerce. Rather than having users' mobile shopping experiences consist of trying to navigate a series of links and pages on a condensed smartphone screen before eventually giving up in frustration, retailers envision a future where users will simply be able to say what it is they want into their phone. Sounds a whole lot easier, right?