Jordan O'BrienThe Amazon Echo, and its voice assistant Alexa, only launched in the UK last month, but it did so without one of its key features – voice purchasing. That’s now changed, as Amazon has officially announced that voice purchasing is now supported by UK-based Alexa devices, including the Echo Dot – which begins shipping to customers today.
Alexa voice shopping works with the Amazon online store and allows users to order products from the retail giant using nothing but their voice. Users can now just say “order paper towels,” “order dog food” or “buy some LEGO” and Alexa will find a product that ships with Prime and apply available discounts. Users will still need to confirm using their voice before the product is purchased and there’s even the ability to set-up a PIN for extra security.
After ordering items from Amazon, users can then check their order status using the simple “Alexa, where’s my stuff” command. Alexa will then give an update on the latest status of the order and when to expect it.
While voice purchasing is the big new feature launched by Amazon today, Alexa and the Echo are also getting a few more smarts to celebrate the launch of the Echo Dot in the UK.
For customers who have multiple Echo devices within hearing distance, Amazon has launched a new ESP technology to intelligently calculate the clarity of the customer’s voice and determine which Echo is closest and should respond to the request—instantly.
Echo and Echo Dot users can also access a selection of new skills, with more to come soon. The Alexa Skills Kit recently added a new List Skill API, and now customers can integrate Todoist and Any.do lists with Alexa, with the ability to add items to your Alexa Shopping or To Do List.
Football fans can also ask Alexa for the latest developments in the UEFA Champions League, with scores for Europe’s premier club competition now available on demand, with more local sports to come soon.
The Amazon Echo and Echo Dot are available now.