Canalys, a market research firm, has reported that Amazon shipped three times the number of smart speaker/display units as Google in the third quarter of 2019. The company says that Google was responsible for 3.5 million units compared with Amazon’s 10.4 million. Alibaba cam in second with 3.9 million. During Q3, shipments of 28.6 million smart …

Amazon Tops Google In Q3 Smart Speaker Market Report Read More »

There are some who feel that Amazon wants to turn Alexa-enabled devices into vehicles for advertising. According to the Amazon VP, the answer to this would be no. Last week at Fortune magazine’s conference in California on Most Powerful Women Next Gen,” Toni Reid, Amazon VP of Alexa experience and Echo devices, pointed out the …

Amazon VP Reaffirms: ‘No Plans’ For Ads On Alexa Devices Read More »

It is now possible to check your email on your Alexa device. On December 10, Amazon announced some new Alexa capabilities.  One of the big capabilities was the ability to read and delete email.  Amazon also enabled location-based reminders and routines (which is tied to the smartphone Alexa app), as well as other incremental local search …

What Email Marketers Should Know About Alexa’s Latest Feature Read More »

Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) now reports that smart speaker growth is beginning to level off.  It could be that the novelty is fading. According to the firm’s latest survey, their analysis argues there were 53 million smart speakers in US homes at the end of September.  That’s up from 50 million in June.  Echo devices …

Report: As Facebook Portal Goes On Sale, Smart Speaker Growth Is Slowing Read More »

According to Canalys, looking at over 50 million Alexa devices sold, fewer than 500,000 have been the Echo Show.  The device fails to live up to the promise of a “smart speaker with a screen.” If we take the Echo Show and use it as a point of reference, the Lenovo Smart Display with Google Assistant, which has …

Report Says Google Is To Launch Own Smart Display In Time For The Holidays Read More »

Over the past two years, a number of consumer studies that were released found that a significant numbers of smart speaker owners are engaged in “voice commerce.”  But, there is a new report that is apparently based on internal Amazon data that indicates something different – smart speakers owners aren’t engaging in voice activated commerce. …

Amazon Internal Data Suggest ‘Voice-Commerce’ Virtually Nonexistent Read More »

Consumer Intelligence Partners (CIRP), reported this week, using consumer survey data, that Apple’s HomePod smart speaker make market share gains against rivals Google Home and Amazon Echo.  The firm is saying that Apple’s device has 6 percent of the US smart speaker market. According to the report, Echo has a 70 percent share compared to …

Apple’s HomePod Makes Modest Gains Against Echo, Google Home [Report] Read More »

Amazon is continuing to expand the benefits of its Prime membership as an acquisition and customer retention tool.  At this point for the company, Prime has become a critical program of theirs, currently covering over 60 percent of US Amazon shoppers.  These members spend almost 2 times as much annually as non-Prime members do. Aside from …

Amazon to Give Prime Customers Free Access To Paid Alexa Skills Content Read More »

VoiceLabs, a voice analytics company introduced audio ads for Alexa, which is meant to help developers make money off their “skills.”  According to the company, these sponsored messages are “native voice” audio ads, specifically optimized for Alexa and potentially other voice assistants. Adam Marchick, CEO of VoiceLabs, said that they had extensively tested the new, interactive format …

VoiceLabs Launches Audio Ads For Alexa Skills Read More »

There other news outlets who have reported that Amazon is introducing a new Alexa-powered device that will feature a touchscreen, which will really change up the market for digital assistant devices.  It’ll cost $229 and will be available on June 28. This new deice is like a 7-inch Amazon Fire tablet with Alexa and a good …

Amazon Introduces ‘Echo Show,’ A New Alexa Device With A Screen That Can Make Calls Read More »