We told you the other day how Alexa is getting smarter; now its shopping skills are off the chart.
According to Amazon, customers can now order tens of millions of Prime-eligible items by voice through its personal digital assistant. The cloud-based voice service had previously been limited to reorders and a pre-selected pool of recommended products under the Amazon’s Choice program.
Here’s how it works: After issuing the command “Alexa, order …,” the software will suggest a listing for the requested item that ships with Prime, will apply any available discounts, and then state the order total.
Replying “yes” completes the purchase, and anything bought through Alexa can be returned at no charge.
Alexa is the disembodied brain behind Amazon’s proprietary Echo, Dot and Tap wireless speakers, and has also been incorporated into its Fire TV streaming-media box and stick.
The new Alexa skill set, like the Dash push-button ordering system, is another way the e-commerce colossus is employing technology to encourage more purchases.
