Jordan O'BrienIt may seem odd that an online retailer will create one of the world’s most-used voice assistants, but Amazon was hoping that its Alexa AI would make it easier than ever for users to impulse purchase products. Unfortunately, it seems that users aren’t that interested in using the Alexa voice assistant for shopping, as The Information is reporting that as little as two percent of people have used an Alexa-enabled device for making purchases in 2018.
Amazon has tried to push voice shopping through a variety of initiatives, none of which have seen much success; that includes exclusive deals for users purchasing through the Alexa AI. In fact, according to The Information’s sources, of the two percent of people who have tried voice purchasing, only 10 percent of people tried it again. Thankfully, Amazon is seeing more success with those tracking parcels through the voice assistant, with as many as 20 percent of Alexa users utilising the functionality.
It’s unlikely that Amazon is worrying too much about the slow uptake of voice purchasing. The company has seemingly pivoted its strategy from getting users to purchase physical products to getting them to buy services. That includes the company’s Unlimited Music service, which is available for just £3.99 for those wishing to listen exclusively on their Amazon Echo.
The company could also be playing the waiting game. Analysts expect voice purchasing to reach a $40 billion industry by 2022, and it’s expected that Amazon will get a large slice of that pie. The market is currently said to be worth just $2 billion. As users get more reliant on their Alexa voice assistants, however, they could start relying on it for just about anything they can think of – including making purchases.