Amazon’s Fire Phone Has Slow Start

Amazon’s Fire smartphone appears to be off to a slow start, according to one analyst that tracks activity growth using ad impressions — and the cause may be the fact that the Fire is only available from AT&T, C/Net reported.

Out of tens of millions of ad views measured, the new Amazon phone accounted for 0.02 percent of that ad traffic during the first 20 days it was on sale. For comparison, the slightly more expensive LG G3, released about a month earlier on multiple carriers, reached 0.06 percent within its first 20 days, according to a study published Tuesday (Apr. 19) by Chitika Insights. The still more expensive Samsung Galaxy S4 rose to 0.19 percent during its first 11 days last year, according to a previous study from Chitika.

That low adoption rate is “an expected consequence given the smartphone’s carrier exclusivity,” the Chitika study said. “While Amazon certainly is looking to make the Fire Phone a hit, current conditions show this being more realistic as a long-term goal rather than a short term one.”

The Fire Phone, which is closely tied to Amazon’s ecosystem and is specifically designed to make it easier for users to buy from the e-commerce giant, includes 3-D features and image-recognition technology, but the phone’s reviews were generally tepid, C/Net said.

Karen Webster wrote about the ignition difficulties the Fire would be facing, especially among consumers who don’t need an Amazon phone to enjoy Amazon’s services.