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Amazon's Alexa Virtual Assistant Can Now Order Millions of Prime Products For You (thenextweb.com)

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Fortune: Amazon added a new skill for its voice assistant Alexa on Friday, and it could help the e-commerce giant add even more revenue to its already billions in yearly sales from selling everything from toilet paper to toothpaste. With today's update, now you can tell Alexa you want to buy any one of its tens of millions of items that are sold on Amazon. The one caveat is that the item must be a Prime product, meaning it is fulfilled by Amazon and can be shipped to shopper's doorsteps within two days or less. So if your daughter or son wants a Elsa doll from Disney's Frozen movie, you simply ask, "Alexa, please order the Elsa doll from Frozen," and Alexa will suggest a toy that fits that description. You then say "yes" to continue the transaction, and Alexa will take care of charging your credit card, and shipping the product to your home. Quartz posted a story in early June in which it documents several concerns from parents that Amazon Echo is conditioning the kids of this generation to be rude.

57 comments

  1. No thanks. by AlphaBro · · Score: 1

    Keyboard and mouse work just fine.

    1. Re:No thanks. by JaredOfEuropa · · Score: 2

      The idea is that when you realize you need something, you don't have to memorize it or hunt for a pen to add it to your shopping list. "Alexa, order more detergent", basically the same idea as those electronic Amazon buttons you tape to the washing machine and push to order detergent when you run out. Small conveniences.

      In this case however I would expect some sort of parental lock, so Alexa doesn't order new tows whenever your kids cry out for them.

      --
      If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
    2. Re:No thanks. by AlphaBro · · Score: 1

      If you want hands-free, that can easily be had without a bot. What value does "Alexa" add?

    3. Re: No thanks. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Twelvetows ended up in Pitchess detention center.

    4. Re:No thanks. by namgge · · Score: 1

      I'm sure the real idea is to make impulse-buying easier and the norm. An early step in this direction was One-Click purchasing. Now you don't even have to click.

      As a consumer, try to never impulse-buy anything. Put it in your 'basket' by all means but wait a few days, see if it still seems necessary. In many cases you can just delete it at that point. Buyer's remorse is your friend if you can arrange to experience it before you've closed the deal.

    5. Re:No thanks. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Effing this. Amazon has made great strides over the years making it as effortless as possible for consumers to give them their money, nearly to the point of making accidental purchases likely. I mean, a fucking button on your washing machine that automatically orders detergent? C'mon.

      Even the extra 60 seconds it takes to go through the add to cart+checkout process is enough for a little reevaluation about how much you *really* need a $50 coffee table book of WW2 photography. And even that's still less deliberation time than you'd get waiting in a supermarket checkout line after grabbing a bunch of pointless shit off the POS display.

    6. Re:No thanks. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      arms and legs work too, get some exercise and shop in real store.

    7. Re:No thanks. by Gavagai80 · · Score: 3, Funny

      The idea is that instead of you shopping around for a good deal, alexa suggests the item with the largest profit margin and you simply say yes.

      --
      This space intentionally left blank
    8. Re:No thanks. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Pretty sure nobody is binge-buying detergent other than a handful of hoarders. I get your general point, but the buttons really are quite simple and useful, and they're right where you need them - we have a whiteboard in the laundry room to list anything needed, but someone has to go get that stuff. Amazon's pricing on staples isn't great, but if I don't have to go to the grocery store, that's well worth paying $5 more for a big batch of paper towels.

    9. Re:No thanks. by bjwest · · Score: 2

      What value does "Alexa" add?

      The "convenience" of impulse buying, so more profit for Amazon.com. I used to order all kinds of crap three to four, sometimes up to six times a week. Now, since I've limited myself to placing things in my cart, then ordering only once a week, I find myself removing a bunch of crap I don't really need. Alexa, and those single-item order bobbets, bring back the impulse shopping with a vengeance. I foresee people who talk to themselves receiving all kinds of surprise packages on their doorstep.

      Besides, the very idea of a device sitting in one's home constantly listening and sending every word out to 'the cloud' for analysis should freak everyone the hell out.

      --

      --- Keep the choice with the user..
    10. Re:No thanks. by Mr+D+from+63 · · Score: 2

      The "convenience" of impulse buying, so more profit for Amazon.com.

      I like to see a picture of what I am ordering and the price before I buy. I also like to check the order before that final click just in case there is a long delivery time or some unexpected shipping fee. Just saying 'buy this' and having the system take over is something I can't see myself doing, however I really don't buy commodities like detergent online anyhow. Adding to a list makes sense.

    11. Re:No thanks. by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      I'd rather have Alexa (well, some assistant that I actually control, but for the sake of this discussion...) just make a list of stuff I want throughout the day, and then I can review it and check prices (etc.) at the end of the day. Rarely do I need something so rapidly that I can't wait for it to ship tomorrow. If I do, I'll sit down and order it right now, and make sure I have the best chance to get it.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  2. Hookers and drugs? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Not necessarily in that order.

    1. Re:Hookers and drugs? by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      Trump 2016

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
  3. "Let us all nod our heads in appreciation..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Just don't nod, is all."

  4. Re:Hello alexa by FlyHelicopters · · Score: 3, Funny

    please gimme a blowjo. Thank you.

    In 20 years, that might actually not be out of the question...

    My wife joked that she wouldn't mind an Alexa sex robot, because unlike a real girlfriend, Alexa would have an off switch. :)

  5. Why not? by hughbar · · Score: 1

    We always need more and more stuff, until we live on a mound of immediately obsolete consumer goods and (apparently, thanks Alexa!) rolls of lavatory paper.

    --
    On y va, qui mal y pense!
  6. Re:Hello alexa by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    She must truly hate you

  7. Not for types like me! by irp · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I fully understand why amazon does this: To avoid people like me...

    I hate when stores keeps payment info! I actually like having to get my cards from my wallet, in my jacket, hanging in another room.

    Why? Because half the time I realize I do not need what I was about to purchase anyway. Or realize that I should search for a better deal on a cheaper site...

    That habit saves me a lot of money and I have less stuff that I never use anyway...

    1. Re:Not for types like me! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So just how small... it's not that kind of message board, you seem to be cross posting in the same comment. Here we use two hands on the keyboard at all times.

    2. Re:Not for types like me! by arth1 · · Score: 1

      I actually like having to get my cards from my wallet, in my jacket, hanging in another room.

      You don't remember your card numbers and expiration?

      I'd have to get my cards changed weekly if that approach should have any value for me, because the numbers stick.

    3. Re:Not for types like me! by 0100010001010011 · · Score: 1

      Let me guess, you're the person that uses the self check out lane and then calls the attendant because the sale price didn't ring up then wants to write a check?

      I have enough in my life that I want to do to not waste time on stuff I have to do. My wife and I solved the "we need toilet paper"/'I forgot the toilet paper" conundrum a long time ago with subscribe and save. We have a Dash button next to laundry and dish washing detergent. About out? Pres the button and in 2 days the mail man drops it off.

      Once upon a time you actually could get milk delivered to your door. Now I have to fight through geriatrics that don't understand how a single queue checkout works,

      I'm still waiting for Amazon to join up with Marvel and release a Echo for the garage that can go by Jarvis. Jarvis, turn on the dust collection. Jarvis, order some 8 mm x 20 mm grade 12.9 bolts.... When your hands are full of axle grease (or baby spitup) the Echo is a pretty good device for an alpha version. It's not quick Trek's Computer but it's a good start.

    4. Re:Not for types like me! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ... and you're the kind of asshole who doesn't give a flying fuck about his local community.

    5. Re:Not for types like me! by 0100010001010011 · · Score: 1

      What toilet paper or dishwasher tabs does your local community make?

      We regularly get our fresh vegetables from the farmers market. We buy a half a cow from the parents of one of my wife's co-workers.

      What part about writing checks helps the local community?

  8. Alexa by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Alexa == Spyware.

  9. Script to TV advert by Alain+Williams · · Score: 1

    What happens when you leave your TV on near your unattended echo and the advert script runs like ...

    Alexa Order me xxx expensive bit of junk
    ... pause ...
    yes

    Not entirely improbable - the ad showing the gullible how easy it is to buy their stuff

    It arrives and you dispute that you ordered it

    1. Re:Script to TV advert by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Things are best when warehouses are fully automated.

      "The Amazon warehouse in Gobberfield TL is currently unavailable for delivery after Alexa was really sure someone had ordered its support pillars."

  10. Buying stuff with voice recognition? by Z80a · · Score: 1

    Alexa.. Buy milipede for the atari 2600.
    "Yes sir. Buying a million pads for the atari 2600".

  11. I wonder what people will really receive by demon+driver · · Score: 1

    ... given that (at least in countries other than the US, including, but probably not limited to, UK and Germany) Amazon's search engine doesn't even let you combine two search words with a logical 'and', generating dozens and hundreds of result pages full of the stupidest stuff. Even more funny is that it claims it does, while it has been that way for many years...

  12. Oh great. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Better hope that the line goes dead after hanging up or you'll get a truck full of Alexa's interpretation of phone static noise.

    Have you tried our new "One cough order (TM)" yet?

  13. MOD PARENT DOWN by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    As I recall, Alexa is a tracker that is used for page ranking. While I agree that the Alexa toolbar meets the criteria for spyware, that is a completely different product. The Alexa virtual assistant has nothing to do with the tracker by the same name. Absent any additional information, your post should be modded down as a troll.

  14. "Can Now Order Millions of Prime Products For You" by tlambert · · Score: 1

    "Can Now Order Millions of Prime Products For You" whether you want it to or not.

  15. Re:"Can Now Order Millions of Prime Products For Y by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Shirley you mean "Will Now Order Millions of Prime Products For You" whether you want it to or not.

  16. Xbox live support contact number by moinsodi · · Score: 0

    Xbox live support contact number We're here & happy to help with any Xbox support questions! If we haven't responded, Call Us. 1 855 388 0710

  17. Xbox live support contact number by moinsodi · · Score: 0

    Xbox live support contact number (@@Xbox live support number##) We're here & happy to help with any Xbox support questions! If we haven't responded, Call Us. 1 855 388 0710

  18. About Prime... by NormalVisual · · Score: 1

    From the summary: The one caveat is that the item must be a Prime product, meaning it is fulfilled by Amazon and can be shipped to shopper's doorsteps within two days or less.

    Prime doesn't always mean "two days or less". More and more Prime items are being quoted 4-6 days or longer, and I've had several Prime items arrive more than a week after ordering over the past year.

    --
    Please stand clear of the doors, por favor mantenganse alejado de las puertas
    1. Re:About Prime... by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Prime is a scam anyway. Before Prime, delivery times of 2 days were normal with Amazon, but as soon as they started offering Prime, suddenly it became normal that delivery takes a week.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  19. Glad it's Amazon and not MS by Opportunist · · Score: 1

    Else instead of "can" it would be "does". Whether you want to or not.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  20. Ordering is easy ... by H_Fisher · · Score: 1

    ... but I'll wager that canceling an order placed by mistake still requires logging on to the website — and if the Marketing and consumer behavior experts have anything to say about it, you can expect that process to eventually grow longer and more tedious, to help encourage people not to cancel: "That would take so long, and it's only fifteen bucks ..."

    In any case, stand by for the inevitable headline about someone whose kid plays around and orders $10k worth of toys on Amazon without the parent even realizing it ...

  21. Re:WTF are TOWS? -- It is also known as a BGM-71 by Hasaf · · Score: 1

    A TOW, BGM-71 is a wire guided missile and was first adopted in 1970. It is one of the most widely used anti-tank missiles in the world.

    What does this have to do with a home automation gadget?

  22. Re:Hello alexa by drinkypoo · · Score: 3, Insightful

    My wife joked that she wouldn't mind an Alexa sex robot, because unlike a real girlfriend, Alexa would have an off switch. :)

    She hasn't thought through the fact that this makes it unlike a wife as well, eh

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  23. What I wanted Alexa to do by Hasaf · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I know this sounds bad; but I am a middle aged man, I am not going to make new friends. I am not allowed to have a dog. I wanted something that I could come home and chat with. Yes, something that would remember to wake me up and discuss movies, books, and games with me.

    I realize it will never be a person; I am well aware of chat-bot limitations. However, with more and more single households, I can see a demand for something like this. To deny the market is to ignore a market.

    1. Re:What I wanted Alexa to do by FlyHelicopters · · Score: 1

      What you describe is all too common, you are not alone...

      The market for personal assistants will be massive... they need to get better in being able to hold a conversation, but that will come with time...

  24. Wait until adverts order the product for you... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What's to stop a recording (ie advert/tv/radio) ordering things you don't want or can't afford?

    Hey alexa order me popping pop corn with extra butter.. Pronto bitch!!

    1. Re:Wait until adverts order the product for you... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What's to stop a recording (ie advert/tv/radio) ordering things you don't want or can't afford?

      Hey alexa order me popping pop corn with extra butter.. Pronto bitch!!

      I'm not your bitch ok.... 2tons of popcorn on its way ya prick!!!!

  25. Please order a LAN audio cable... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    $10000.00 later your LAN audio cable arrives.

  26. Of course! by Tony+Isaac · · Score: 1

    Did anyone think Alexa was created just to make life better for humanity?

    1. Re:Of course! by JustAnotherOldGuy · · Score: 1

      Did anyone think Alexa was created just to make life better for humanity?

      Not anyone with two brain cells to rub together.

      --
      Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
  27. I'm confused now... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I've had an Echo for 6 months now and I seem to have always been able to order anything I wanted through it. "Alexa buy duct tape..." - "3M Utility Duct Tape 2929 Silver, 1.8m roll is $8.24, please say your confirmation pin to place the order." Was I part of some weird beta program along with everyone else who's been using Alexa on Echo. This isn't a new feature at all! What am I missing here?

  28. Yippee by JustAnotherOldGuy · · Score: 1

    More and easier ways to spend my money, woo hoo!

    Oh, wait.....

    --
    Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
  29. Re:Hello alexa by FlyHelicopters · · Score: 1

    She hasn't thought through the fact that this makes it unlike a wife as well, eh

    No, a girlfriend is a toy, a wife is a life mate...

    No robot could ever replace my wife, she is my soul mate and I love her every waking minute...

    But she can't pole dance to save her life. :) (and yes, she tried, even took classes, cause she loves me!)

    Would she care if I had a pole-dancing sexy robot? No, she really wouldn't.

    Would she care if I had a pole-dancing sexy girlfriend? Yes, she really would.

    The difference, to use her words... "the robot doesn't want to become your wife, the girlfriend will".

  30. Orders millions of prime products for you by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hopefully not all at once.