Some of the most prominent retail brands in the UK have been assessed according to their dominance in the emerging voice search market, with analysts at PI Datametrics finding that Debenhams is at the top of the pile at the moment.

It managed to outdo other fashion outlets, taking 12 per cent of its market niche and managing to outpace other chains that offer safe shopping online across a number of other segments in the e-commerce sphere.

Next was in second place, accounting for 10 per cent of fashion-related voice search results, while pure-play online outlet Boohoo came in third with a share of six per cent reported.

Examining other categories reveals that there are actually quite significant differences between the retailers which are on top in traditional search engines and those that are racing ahead with their voice search optimisation efforts.

Curry’s was identified as leading the pack in the electricals segment, snatching a nine per cent stake and putting it just ahead of Argos, which accounted for 8 per cent of voice searches in the final three months of 2018.

Interestingly enough, Amazon only managed to make it into third position with a six per cent share of searches. This is in spite of the fact that its own Alexa voice assistant is one of the most popular platforms for carrying out research in this market.

Argos was also well placed in other areas, beating out its rivals to be the most prominent homeware brand in the country.

While voice search has increased in popularity thanks to a combination of smartphones and smart speaker systems, it still accounts for a tiny slice of the whole e-commerce market. This could change going forwards, especially if the experience of shopping online using voice alone is improved.