How Alexa Brings You into the Home of Your Customers

Alexa is the new roommate you never knew you needed. She knows what the weather will be, if there is traffic on your way to work and even when your cake is done baking. Alexa can turn people’s words into actions and because of this more and more people are coming to rely on Amazon’s voice assistant. This opens up new doors for brands because, with Alexa, Amazon has created a new connection opportunity between companies and consumers and has thus thrown old marketing principles out the window.

Access to new target groups

Anyone currently involved in the future of commerce cannot avoid one term – Voice Commerce. Voice Commerce, also known as v-commerce, empowers consumers to make purchases using only voice commands. This means brands can now use v-commerce as both a branding and marketing tool. By positioning Alexa appliances in consumers’ kitchens, bedrooms and living rooms, a new gateway to customers has been created. Voice assistants offer the opportunity to establish and integrate a company into the consumer’s everyday life. This changes the way brands and consumers interact with each other. The development of Voice Commerce may still seem timid, but the figures speak for themselves:

- There are 120 million smart speakers in the US alone.

- The UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain will have 57.5 million smart speakers come 2024.

- By 2024, the global voice-based smart speaker market could be worth $30 billion.

Which products are suited for Alexa?

Purchasing using only Voice Command is still hard to imagine for many people. Those who recognise the potential early on will help shape the future of retail. But which products are actually suitable for purchasing via voice assistant? Below is a general answer to this question:

Simple and self-explanatory products are ideal for ordering via voice: the customer is already familiar with the nature of your product and the price is not too high. Because of this, additional questions are usually not necessary.

Digital services such as films, music or audio can be easily ordered using voice: the customer knows exactly what he/she is looking for. No risk of confusion means more security when buying via voice command.

Repeated purchases such as reordering household goods or hygiene products are perfectly suited for Alexa. In this scenario, not only does the customer knows exactly what they want, but so does Alexa. Smart devices in the kitchen motivate people to order directly when something comes up and make everyday life easier.

How to get Alexa to recommend your product

Once you have established if using v-commerce is right for you, you need to get Alexa to recommend your brand. For this, you need an Amazon strategy which includes multiple positive reviews for your product, accurate product descriptions and fast delivery options to make your product Amazon’s Choice and thus boosting you towards the top of the result list. Also, accurate and relevant keywords and optimised content are the core of all Amazon success stories. Likewise, encourage your customers to buy your products through Alexa related campaigns and discounts. This way you secure a place in Alexa’s future recommendations. A high position in voice search results is essential for success in voice purchasing.

Alexa Skills: A new way of reaching consumers

If your product or service is not ideal to purchase using only voice commands, you can still harness the power of Alexa to increase your brand reach. Amazon also offers Alexa Skills: voice-driven app like features which individuals can simply add that can help brands increase their reach by bringing their product or service to life. This is a cool feature which any company can use regardless of whether they sell products on Amazon or not. So, for example, a local bank could create a Skill which enables users to check their bank account balance or make a transfer using only voice commands. You could use a Skill to elevate your e-commerce strategy or even offer a voice-activated loyalty program which gives users points or credits when they make a purchase using Alexa Skill. However, don’t simply create a Skill just because, ensure that it adds value to the user’s life while promoting your brand. A successful Alexa Skill not only adds value and uniqueness but ideally it also gives consumers a reason to come back.

From visual to auditory cues

Voice assistants will change how brands reach consumers and interact with them and will tip the scale in our very visually oriented culture. By harnessing the power of Alexa, this will open up (literally) every door in the consumer’s house for you. With the right Amazon strategy or simply by developing your own Alexa Skill, your brand can increase its reach using only its voice.

Maria Heuger is online content editor at Dept