Alexa Skills news and trends

Alexa In-Skill Purchasing Goes Global
Alexa // May 01, 2019

Amazon is bringing Alexa in-skill purchasing — which allows for developers to generate revenue from voice apps — to Japan, the U.K and Germany, according to reports. The option was introduced in the U.S. last year, and allows developers to get money through apps by the...

Amazon Debuts Third Alexa Accelerator Program
Alexa // February 26, 2019

Amazon’s Alexa Fund has announced the launch of the third year of the Alexa Accelerator, powered by Techstars. Up to ten companies from around the world will be selected to participate in the 13-week program that gives firms the chance to showcase their own ideas that will...

Google Assistant Skills Trail Alexa By 52K
Google // February 19, 2019

When it comes to the competition for developer mindshare in voice apps, Amazon is well ahead of Google. Amazon recently announced that the number of available voice skills for Alexa devices is now over 80,000, with 56,750 of those skills offered in the U.S. But new analysis...

Who Will Win The Super Bowl? Ask Alexa
Voice Activation // February 01, 2019

With the Super Bowl on the horizon, voice assistants are offering their own predictions as to who will win football’s big game. Alexa, Siri, Cortana and Google Assistant all have guesses — if asked for their opinions, CNBC reported. The responses range from simple analytic...

Interviews & Exclusives
‘Alexa — Turn That Return Into A Saved Sale’

March 27, 2018
No one likes the friction-filled process of returning unwanted goods. Say hello, literally, to Alexa, and a streamlined process of getting what consumers want through a turbocharged customer care experience, via Linc. CEO Fang Cheng tells Karen Webster that giving voice to returns can save sales.

How Alexa Will Power The Future’s Excellent Commerce Adventures

March 23, 2018
The artificial intelligence (AI)-powered virtual assistant has been floating around the payments and commerce ecosystem for a few years. But until fairly recently, the term “assistant” was used too generously....

Voice And Visual: Better Together On The Echo Show

March 22, 2018
There’s a lot that developers can do with voice, and that’s at the heart of the PYMNTS.com Voice Challenge with Amazon Alexa – but there’s even more that can be...

Semafone’s Dos And Don’ts Of The Voice Challenge With Amazon Alexa

March 20, 2018
Hello there. Hey. Hi. How ya doin’? If you’re a human, these greetings likely mean the same thing to you — but if you’re a voice-activated assistant, things may not...

Quick Reads
Amazon Alexa Adds Automation With Alexa Routines

May 07, 2019
Amazon Alexa is expanding the capabilities of Alexa Routines. Launched in fall 2017, Routines allows users to carry out such tasks as scheduling actions, carrying out multiple tasks with a single word or creating custom voice commands. Setting a Routine for the Amazon Echo is done by simply launching the Alexa app, opening the menu (top […]

Alexa In-Skill Purchasing Goes Global

May 01, 2019
Amazon is bringing Alexa in-skill purchasing — which allows for developers to generate revenue from voice apps — to Japan, the U.K and Germany, according to reports. The option was introduced...

Amazon Debuts Third Alexa Accelerator Program

February 26, 2019
Amazon’s Alexa Fund has announced the launch of the third year of the Alexa Accelerator, powered by Techstars. Up to ten companies from around the world will be selected to participate...

Google Assistant Skills Trail Alexa By 52K

February 19, 2019
When it comes to the competition for developer mindshare in voice apps, Amazon is well ahead of Google. Amazon recently announced that the number of available voice skills for Alexa devices...