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TECHNOLOGY Friday 25 august 2017

Shopping by voice on Amazon or Google device could cost you

By ANICK JESDANUN exclusive discounts, but he
AP Technology Writer prefers browsing and re-
NEW YORK (AP) — In the viewing products for gen-
name of convenience, eral shopping. “I’m a less
Amazon and Walmart are impulsive shopper than I
pushing people to shop by think their target market is,”
just talking to a digital as- he said.
sistant. SHOPPING OUT LOUD
Shopping by voice means Companies are aware that
giving orders to the Al- voice shopping takes get-
exa assistant on Amazon’s ting used to.
Echo speaker and other “It’s not natural to shout
devices, even if your hands out a purchase desire and
are tied up with dinner have it be fulfilled,” said
or dirty diapers. And next Ryne Misso of the Market
month, Walmart will start Track retail research firm in
offering voice shopping , Chicago.
too, with the Google As- Jenny Blackburn, Ama-
sistant on the rival Home zon’s director of voice
speaker. shopping, believes it will
Voice shopping is still new. catch on once people get
But once you start using it, used to it.
look out — you might never To get people started, Am-
know if it’s offering you the azon has been offering ex-
best deal. Because these This file photo provided by Amazon shows models of the Amazon Echo Show. clusive deals through Alexa
devices can’t say much Associated Press and a $10 credit on the first
without tiring your ears, order. For its annual Prime
voice shopping precludes Babson College in Massa- cated guess based on you’re considering. You’re Day promotion in July, Am-
some of the savvy shop- azon gave voice shoppers
ping practices you may chusetts. Voice shopping some undisclosed mix of able to compare similar a head start of two hours.
eliminates those interven-
price, satisfaction rating items and choose some-
have relied on to find the Amazon says voice shop-
best bargains — in particu- ing steps. and shipping time. Amazon thing cheaper if you’re will- ping has grown in the year-
And with Amazon so far won’t provide more de-
ing to sacrifice some fea-
lar, researching products plus it’s had it, though it
and comparing prices. ahead, voice shopping tails. You can get a prod- tures or take a chance on wouldn’t release figures.
an unknown manufacturer.
with Alexa is another way uct’s average customer-
You’d be leaving much “We’re really just getting
of the buying decision to of getting you hooked on satisfaction rating, but not And, of course, you can started with it,” Blackburn
specific reviews, even on also compare Amazon’s
Amazon . Although Ama-
Amazon, Walmart or other said in an interview.
retailers. zon allows some third-party screen-equipped Echo prices with those of other VOICE’S LIMITED RANGE
ordering through Alexa, Show devices.
online merchants.
HOOKED ON AMAZON Blackburn said voice shop-
Amazon has had more including pizza from Dom- Brian Elliott, general man- But with Amazon’s voice ping works best for prod-
ino’s and hotels through ager of Google Express, shopping, it’s back to what
than a year’s head start, ucts with “lightweight de-
and dominates voice Kayak, general shopping says that with most affili- the company’s represen- cisions,” such as batteries,
tative recommends. Alexa
is limited to Amazon’s own ated retailers, personaliza-
shopping. Google intro- cat food and paper tow-
duced shopping to Home store. If Alexa orders dia- tion occurs as the assistant can’t handle the full cata- els. Sure, Alexa can order
log, just what’s eligible for
pers for you just as you run learns shoppers’ preferenc-
in February, letting peo- you a TV, but you’ll prob-
ple order essentials from out, for instance, Amazon es, but the integration with free shipping through the ably want to do some re-
locks in the order before Walmart will happen more Prime loyalty program. Its
more than 40 retailers like search first.
Target and Costco under you have a chance to visit quickly. interactions with shoppers Nels Romerdahl, a student
Walmart.
In some ways, shopping by are constrained by the fact
its Google Express pro- at the University of Hawaii
gram. Its partnership with “You can’t get away from voice assistant is a throw- that listening and speaking in Maui, said Alexa can be
Beitelspacher back to the days when can be a lot slower than
Amazon,”
Walmart means hundreds a big improvement over
of thousands of items will said. “I don’t know if gim- you were largely limited to reading and clicking. Amazon Dash buttons —
mick is the right word, but what sales representatives And while Amazon’s web-
be available to customers plastic gadgets that can
in late September. (voice shopping) is part of recommended at a physi- site won’t necessarily list you place around the
cal store.
the cheapest option first
a strategy to be omnipres-
With websites and apps, house and press anytime
many customers place ent in consumers’ lives.” Amazon’s website gives either, the alternatives are you need to reorder a spe-
ASSISTANT IN CHARGE
you a lot of information easier to view on a screen.
items in the cart, but cific item. But he doesn’t
change their minds be- Ask Alexa to buy some- about most products, from Justin Evans, an engineer in use either Alexa or Dash for
thing, and it presents you color options and sizes to Whitman, Massachusetts,
fore completing the order, recurring items — he stocks
said Lauren Beitelspacher, with something you’ve the specific reasons other bought oatmeal and smart up when his parents visit
customers hated a product plugs using Alexa to claim
bought before or an edu-
a marketing professor at Costco every few weeks.q