Is it possible to make one of the fastest digital ways to shop even faster? Given their recent move, Amazon seems to think so. The online retail giant just recently enabled Alexa voice shopping through Prime Now, Amazon’s rush service that boasts one- to two-hour delivery times.
Using voice commands, Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, Tap, Fire Tablet and Fire TV owners can say, “Alexa, order [product] from Prime Now.” Alexa will then recommend a product from the full Prime Now catalog. Once the user confirms the item, Alexa adds it to their order.
“Bringing Prime Now to Alexa voice shopping combines two of the most innovative shopping technologies available for an experience that our customers are going to wonder how they ever lived without,” said Assaf Ronen, vice president of voice shopping at Amazon.
Along with making it easier than ever for Prime Now users to make orders, this move should put both retailers and payment providers on red alert concerning the Amazon effect on payments.
At the latest count, Amazon’s Prime Now service offers free two-hour delivery on over 25,000 items across 25 categories, including household items, groceries, electronics, gifts, seasonal items and more in over 30 eligible U.S. cities.
Amazon Prime now also offers one-hour delivery from Amazon Restaurants in over 25 U.S. cities. Customers in select cities can additionally use Alexa to have wine, beer and spirits delivered right to their door with Prime Now. As of now, all alcohol delivery types are available in Seattle, while beer and wine are available for delivery in Columbus and Cincinnati.
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The service allows users to quickly acquire essentials without having to leave the house, touting use cases such as securing an additional bottle of wine to serve last-minute dinner guests or acquiring over-the-counter medications while sick in bed.
Amazon Prime Now pulls in some 10 million customers per month, who purchase a range of items in four main categories: media (60 percent), electronics less than $50 (47 percent), personal care products (44 percent) and apparel (41 percent). A further 22 percent make grocery orders through Amazon Prime Now.
