How Amazon Alexa Skills Can Boost Your Brand?

Alexa is Amazon’s virtual assistant, and it is quickly becoming an essential part of many users’ lives.

These data points attest to the validity of this statement:

• In 2019, Alexa became the leading smart speaker market, shipping 10.4 million units worldwide and over 100 million devices with Alexa’s built-in were sold.
• In 2020, the skill count for Alexa grew to 70,729 in the U.S. and 34,341 in the U.K. Alexa is now available in over 42 countries, and is supported by over 100,000 devices –with Amazon’s Echo speaker on the lead.

As of 2021, there are more than 100,00 Alexa skills. These are apps that can be added to a smart speaker by voice command, a phone, or Alexa’s website.

Here are just some examples of Alexa’s most popular skills and their commands:

• Amazon Prime – “Alexa, what are my deals…where’s my stuff?”
• Big Sky  – “Alexa, open BigSky…how’s the weather today…ask BigSky for the wind speed at the boat”
• Alexa Guard – “Alexa, call for help” – Only available in the U.S.
• MyPetDoc – “Alexa, ask MyPetDoc…my dog’s eye is red.”
• Audible – “Alexa, what should I read next?”
• Multilingual mode through Echo devices – “Alexa, tell me what you heard…speak Spanish”
• Amex – “Alexa, open Amex…check my balance… pay my AmEx bill”

As we all know, Amazon has taken over the world. And Alexa Skills makes it possible for all of its users to enjoy their favorite apps without lifting a finger.

Here are some examples of the apps Alexa’s users get to summon from the comfort of their couch:

Amazon customers can find your products way easier through Alexa. 

Through voice interaction, Alexa recognizes the user’s command and matches it with your product “code.” Then, your skill receives this request and generates a response.

There are two ways to do it, and they are both available in multiple countries and regions: In-Skill purchasing (ISP) or Amazon Pay for Alexa Skills

When you sign into ISP, you are granted access to suggest (sell) premium digital goods and services, like game features, in skills that already have a custom interactive model.

You can offer these 3 types of premium content:

1. One-time purchases: They never expire
2. Consumables: The user can buy these features if they’re depleted
3. Subscriptions: They are charged recurrently until the user cancels their subscription

Once your skill goes live, you’ll be able to keep track of your In-Skill metrics to monitor how much you are earning and to stay on top of your payments/charges.

This is how the In-Skill metrics report looks like in the Alexa Developer Console:

Visit Amazon Alexa Skills Kit page to learn more.

Some well-known brands have seen great success with Amazon Alexa. Let’s take a look at how Tide and Johnnie Walker are expanding their brand presence:

Tide developed an Alexa skill that can give step-by-step instructions for removing stains from clothes. All the stain removal recommendations involve using Tide products, which is one way to boost sales.

Johnnie Walker developed a skill that helps consumers find the perfect blend. The skill can also recommend different drink recipes, or guide through a tasting of various Johnnie Walker whiskeys.

This was a smart move from both companies since they bet on customer interaction as a strategy to place their brand in the forefront of the consumer’s mind.

Amazon released a new Live Translation for Alexa in early 2021. This new skill allows individuals, speaking in two different languages, to communicate with each other in real time.

Alexa acts as an interpreter and translates both sides of the conversation. Translated Skill for Amazon Alexa is used by 4.5 million users. Now, translations are about to improve. Users can ask Alexa to translate between Brazilian Portuguese, Italian, Hindi, French, German, Spanish, and English in real-time. 

All you need to do is the following:

• Set your device’s location and system language to “English U.S.”
• Say: “Alexa, translate English to [second language].”
• Keep your conversation as normal. Alexa will listen in and translate as needed.
• When the conversation is over, say “Alexa, Stop”.

Amazon says the feature can also be used for language learning. It is also a perfect update for businesses to expand their reach to different markets. For example, Live Translation is a key for communication between hotel guests and staff through the Alexa for Hospitality platform.

Note: The new Live Translation is only available on Echo devices in the U.S. at the moment. 

Talking is not the only way to get Alexa’s attention. Amazon rolled out a chatbot feature for the Alexa mobile app in December 2020.

Using the chatbot is useful if a user wants to keep their device’s microphone off. It’s also handy when they are in another don’t want to shout commands at Alexa.

To chat, open the Alexa app and do the following:

1. Open Home and select the keyboard icon.
2. Type in your request.
3. Tap Return or Go to send the message to Alexa.

Although voice will remain the dominant interaction method on Alexa, all interactions will work through the chat functionality.

Note: The feature is only available for iOS users, but Amazon plans to add support for Android devices.

As mentioned before, shoppers can ask Alexa to search for products, check an order’s status and manage shopping lists.

A user can ask “Alexa, where’s my stuff?” to navigate through orders. To see their shopping list, they can say “Alexa, show me my shopping list.”

However, your store can’t really exist until it ranks well in Amazon Search. This means you have to use the best and the most relevant keywords to create content that sells on Amazon.

Here’s how you can do it:

Each positive feedback you receive is a competitive boost to attract new customers and to rise above the competition.

For Alexa-enabled products, you should rely on Amazon Vine.

This program allows you to seed your Alexa-enabled product to trusted Amazon’s certified reviewers prior to launch. Customers will test out your device and provide detailed reviews.

It’s recommended to enroll in Vine 35-45 days before launch to generate enough trusted reviews. The final ratings will launch on Amazon once the product is available for sale.

Voice commands like Alexa are on the way to becoming the primary search interface. That’s because consumers get a much more conversational experience. It gives users the feeling of interacting with “another person,” and that beats texting in most cases. As voice becomes the new standard, customers are going to expect voice services from their favored brands. Sellers need to optimize for this search format, lest they risk losing clients. So, use Alexa’s Skills to turn words into meaningful actions. Soon, your voice will boost sales and delight your customers.