This is the first holiday shopping season in which Amazon Prime members are able to order items by voice, and the e-commerce giant is hoping that “Alexa” has a seat at the family table.
On Friday, Amazon kicked off a four-day push to promote deals for items that can be bought only by voice using Alexa-enabled devices, which include Amazon’s in-house products: Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, Amazon Tap, Amazon Fire HD tablet and Amazon Fire TV.
Amazon spokeswoman Angie Newman said the web giant wants “Alexa, what are your deals?” to be a part of a customer’s daily routine. Since July, customers have been able to voice order tens of millions of items. Customers who spend $10 or more by Cyber Monday will get a $5 gift card automatically.
Many of the items are electronic devices and Amazon-made products, including an Amazon Tap for $79.99, a 32-inch Samsung 1080p LED TV for $119 and $15 off a Philips Hue LED starter kit that works with Alexa. While fashion wasn’t part of the mix, apparel is very much in the forefront at Amazon, as it is working to get more brands and launching its own labels.
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“We choose deals that we think our customers will love,” Newman said, adding that the Echo Dot and batteries are some of the most popular items among Prime members.
Notably, this weekend of promotions falls early in the holiday shopping cycle and is before Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
“Deal shopping has become a season, as opposed to one or two hot shopping days,” Newman said. “Amazon is committed to providing customers with the best deals and easiest ways to shop all holiday season long.”
It also encourages customers to “kick the tires” by using Alexa to shop. To order, customers can say, “Alexa, order [product]” and Amazon’s artificially intelligent assistant will find a well-priced product that ships with Prime. The customer must be a Prime member with one-click enabled, and can then say “yes” to complete the purchase.
For example, this weekend, a customer could save $30 on a Sphero Star Wars BB-8 App-controlled robot with “Alexa, order a Star Wars robot.” “Alexa, order a Hue Starter Kit” garners a discounted Philips Hue LED Starter Kit, and “Alexa, order studio headphones” gets $80 off on Beyerdynamic Limited Edition Headphones.
Newman said Amazon is continuing to evolve the voice shopping experience for its customers.
Assaf Ronen, who is vice president of voice shopping. “Voice shopping with Alexa takes the hassle out of the holidays, giving customers the ability to order from millions of items simply by saying the word. And, the fun doesn’t stop after this weekend. Make sure to ask ‘Alexa, what are your deals?’ every day because we’ll have exciting deals throughout the holiday season and beyond.”