How to voice-shop with Alexa and get early access to deals
ZDNet breaks down all of the ways that Amazon Prime members can use Alexa to shop, find the best deals, track their packages, and more when shopping on Amazon. Read more: https://zd.net/30zKU8c
At its Seattle headquarters on Sept. 25, Amazon plans to unveil its latest devices and services. The technology giant has been characteristically tight-lipped about what it plans to announce, but there’s no doubt that Amazon’s continued product development is all about expanding the Alexa ecosystem.
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The question, then, is what corners of consumerism remain for Alexa to conquer?
Amazon hardware event: When is it?
Amazon’s hardware event will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 10am PT (1pm ET) in Seattle.
Amazon hardware event: How to watch
Amazon is not live-streaming its event. ZDNet will be in attendance, however, and will bring you the latest as it happens.
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(Image: CNET)
Amazon hardware event: What to expect
Last year at its headquarters, Amazon unveiled a slew of new Alexa-enabled devices, including a subwoofer, a smart plug, and even a microwave. The tech giant also updated its family of Echo smart speakers and announced more integrations with other product makers and home service providers.
David Limp, Amazon’s SVP of devices and services, asked reporters at the time to “imagine a future that has thousands of devices in your home.”
A few months later, Amazon hit a major milestone, announcing it had sold more than 100 million Alexa-enabled devices. The growing Alexa ecosystem includes external developers, who, as of April 2019, have built more than 90,000 skills available for use on Alexa-enabled devices.
Amazon’s announcements over the past year, along with market trends and industry reports, hint at where Amazon plans to take Alexa next.
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Alexa earbuds
For instance, there’s room for Alexa to extend its reach into wearable devices. Earlier this year, reports surfaced that Amazon was working on Alexa-enabled wireless earbuds as its first wearable product with Alexa integration. According to more recent reporting from CNBC, the earbuds are expected to be priced below $100, costing consumers less than Apple’s AirPods.
Recent data from IDC suggests rolling out Alexa-enabled earbuds would be a logical move: The research firm reported earlier this month that global wearable unit shipments in Q2 2019 were 85% higher year-over-year, rising to 67.7 million devices. The “hearables” category of voice assistant-connected wireless earbuds and headphones grew 250%, accounting for nearly 47% of the entire wearables segment.
Meanwhile, the CNBC report suggested Amazon’s earbuds could give Alexa a pathway into another growth area: The health sector. The earbuds will reportedly double as a fitness-tracking device, tracking metrics like distance run, calories burned, and pace of running.
While Amazon has yet to offer any devices related to health and wellness, it’s made other advancements in this area. In April, Amazon announced the creation of an invite-only Alexa program for select partners subject to HIPAA (the US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996). At the time of the program’s launch, Amazon had already partnered with six companies, including healthcare providers, to offer a series of Alexa skills allowing users to consult their digital assistant with a range of health-focused inquiries.
Also: Amazon launches HIPAA-compliant Alexa skills for healthcare
(Image: CNET)
New Echo devices
In addition to earbuds, Amazon is reportedly working on a new Echo device with a woofer and higher-quality speakers. The move would line up with Amazon’s recent launch of Amazon Music HD, a premium service offering more than 50 million songs in high definition and millions of songs in ultra-high definition.
Amazon’s Echo devices, giving it an early foothold in the smart speaker market, helped establish the company’s dominance in voice-based interactions. According to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), Amazon is still the dominant player in the US smart speaker market. CIRP found that the installed base of US smart speaker ownership rose to 76 million in the second quarter of 2019, with the Amazon Echo taking 70% market share. Globally, the research firm Canalys recently reported that Amazon topped Q2 smart speaker market sales with 25.4 percent market share and 6.6 million devices sold.
Meanwhile, Amazon continues to invest in new markets for the Echo. The company recently announced that Alexa can now speak and understand Hindi, India’s most popular language.
Ultimately, as Brent Leary wrote for ZDNet, integrating Alexa into effectively all of our devices gives Amazon the chance to win more consumer attention — and then, more interactions, trust, and transactions.
However, earning users’ trust and attention has become a more complicated endeavor over the past year as Amazon and other tech giants come under more scrutiny for potential privacy violations. Earlier this year, Amazon came under fire for having employees listen in on users’ Alexa queries to improve the voice assistant’s accuracy. Amazon now lets its users opt-out of the practice. Amazon also faced questions about the length of time for which it keeps voice recordings.
Privacy-focused hardware
When Amazon announces its new devices Wednesday, privacy features will likely be built into them, as CNET notes. When Amazon released the Echo Show 5 in May, it introduced several new privacy and smart home controls built into the Alexa ecosystem. For instance, the Echo Show 5 comes equipped with a camera shutter — a first for any of Amazon’s display speakers — that physically covers the camera while still letting users talk to the device. Amazon also introduced new, simplified ways to delete voice recordings and a new privacy hub webpage that explains how Echo devices use and store voice recordings.
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