What Happened
Earlier this week, Chinese search giant Baidu unveiled its first virtual assistant service at its Baidu World conference in Beijing. The new Siri-like digital assistant called “Duer” is built into the Baidu Android search app installed on millions of smartphones in China, and will be equipped with voice search capable of ordering food and hailing a taxi at user’s command. The virtual assistant will also be integrated into Baidu’s other apps including Maps and Nuomi, a Groupon-like local discovery platform.
What Brands Should Do
Baidu has a strong hold on the Chinese market, and brands seeking to enter the world’s second-largest consumer market would be wise to get on board with this new service the same way they should with Facebook M. As these digital assistant services continue to gain more business-friendly features, brands should start using them to connect consumers with brands in a natural, conversational context.
Source: The Guardian
