Tag: Alexa

Expedia Launches Alexa Skill To Offer Travel Updates

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Travel site Expedia has launched an Alexa skill that let Amazon Echo users ask for updates on flights, hotel bookings, and rental car reservations without lifting a finger. Expedia customers can use it to check their loyalty points balance. At launch, the skill does not support booking flights or hotels via Alexa directly, but Expedia says it is working to add the feature soon.

This is not the first time Expedia has seeked to connect with travellers via conversational interfaces. In June, the popular travel booking site launched a Facebook Messenger bot, which allows users to search for hotels via chats and can direct them to the Expedia site to complete booking once an option is selected. At the moment, Expedia and its competitor Kayak remain some of the few skills in the Alexa Skills Marketplace that can track flight information and plan a trip.

What Brands Should Do
This serves as the latest example of how voice-based assistant services may transform customer experiences in hospitality. As Amazon continues to improve Alexa’s functionality and expand the underlying deep learning technologies to more services, it is time for brands seeking to stay ahead of the digital curve to start exploring how incorporating conversational interfaces may help improve the customer experience.

The Lab has extensive experience with building Alexa skills for brands. If you’re interested in learning more about this or have a client opportunity, please reach out to our Client Services Director Samantha Holland ([email protected]) to schedule a visit to the Lab.

 

Source: VentureBeat

Amazon Launches Bot Framework Lex To Extend Deep Learning To Developers

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Earlier today at its re:Invent developer event, Amazon announced a series of updates to its  Amazon Web Services (AWS), the biggest public cloud infrastructure provider at the moment. Most notably, the Seattle-based company also introduced Amazon Lex, a bot framework akin to the one Microsoft debuted earlier this year, to extend the deep learning technologies that power Alexa to developers. With Lex’s deep learning functionalities of automatic speech recognition (ASR) and natural language understanding (NLU),  brands can work with developers to build sophisticated conversational interfaces into any application using voice and text.

What Brands Should Do
What truly sets Amazon Lex apart from the existing bot-building frameworks is that it allows developers to tap into the deep learning technologies powering Alexa, Amazon’s leading voice-based personal assistant service. The ecommerce giant has reportedly sold more than 5 million Alexa-enabled Echo smart speakers since launch, and as the company continues to make strong pushes for its hardware products, more and more mainstream consumers will soon become reachable via Alexa. By leveraging Lex, brands will be able to build advanced applications with highly engaging user experiences and lifelike conversational interactions.

The Lab has extensive experience with building chatbots and Alexa skills for brands. The new Messenger bot we build in collaboration with Ansible for Kia delivers comprehensive product information about the all-new Niro model via friendly chats. We are very excited to explore the new possibilities that Amazon Lex is set to unleash and work with our clients to navigate the new realities that conversational interfaces are set to bring. If you’re interested in learning more about this or have a client opportunity, please reach out to our Client Services Director Samantha Holland ([email protected]) to schedule a visit to the Lab.

 

Source: VentureBeat

Amazon To Lure Holiday Shoppers With Alexa-Exclusive Deals

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Amazon is set to lure more holiday shoppers to try out its Alexa-enabled Echo devices with exclusive deals. Starting with the upcoming Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and lasting until the rest of the year, Amazon will be offering customers special deals available only through its digital assistant service. In addition, Amazon is also offering customers who purchase an Alexa-exclusive deal between now and Cyber Monday a bonus $5 Amazon gift card. Earlier this year, the ecommerce giant offered similar Alexa-exclusive deals during its Prime Day sales event, which proved quite popular with Alexa users.

What Brands Should Do
As Amazon continues to integrate shopping capabilities into Alexa and incentivizing more shoppers to try it out, it is familiarizing millions of its customers with voice-based conversational commerce as well as locking in their customer loyalty. With Alexa-enabled devices gaining traction with mainstream consumers, voice ordering is something that retail and CPG brands need to look out for.

For other brands, the popularization of voice-based digital assistant devices like Echo or Google Home also opens up a new channel for brands to reach customers in their living rooms. For instance, Amazon recently created an audio game for Alexa to promote its upcoming original auto show The Grand Tour, showing the potential for companies to connect with customers through similar conversational branded content.

The Lab has extensive experience with building Alexa skills and helping brands navigate the new realities that conversational interfaces are set to bring. If you’re interested in learning more about our take on this topic, please reach out and schedule a visit to the Lab.

 

Source: AdWeek

Hyundai Extends Alexa Integration To Its Connected Car App

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Back in August, Hyundai became the first mainstream auto brand to integrate with Amazon’s digital assistant service with an Alexa skill for its Genesis models. Now, the South Korean automaker is extending the Alexa integration to all Hyundai models compatible with its Blue Link connected car app. With this expansion, Hyundai owners can now ask Alexa to carry out most of the remote control functions that Blue Link app serves, such as starting/stopping the car, setting in-car AC temperatures, and locking/unlocking the doors.

In related news, Hyundai is also teaming up with a car-sharing startup WaiveCar for an ad-supported car sharing pilot program in L.A. that allows interested consumers to drive the IONIQ, Hyundai’s first electric vehicle, for free.

What Brands Should Do
With this Alexa integration, Hyundai has found a way to plug their connected cars into the smart home space and open up new possibilities for them to connect with customers at home. As automakers experiment with smart home device connectivity to expand the reach of their services, other brands should take note and start exploring this space to reach customers at home as well.

The Lab has extensive experience with building Alexa skills and helping brands navigate the new realities that conversational interfaces are set to bring. If you’re interested in learning more, please reach out and schedule a visit to the Lab.

 

Source: Engadget & TechCrunch

Amazon Launches Web Portal For Alexa Skills Discovery

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Amazon is making it easier for Alexa users to discover new skills and managing existing ones via a new web portal named Alexa skills marketplace. Previously, Alexa users have to log into their Alexa app to find, enable, or disable specific Alexa skills. Each skill now has a dedicated URL, which allow brands and developers to drive users to their Alexa skills directly. Developers and brands can now also optimize their skill pages to improve organic discovery.

What Brands Should Do
In September, Amazon announced that the number of available Alexa skills has grown to over 3,000, which shows great interest from developers and brands as they race to conquer the era of voice-based brand-customer interactions. Early-adopting brands such as Hyundai, Patrón, and Capital One have created branded Alexa skills to reach customers via the digital assistant service.This new web portal can help more users discover and manage Alexa skills more easily while also giving brands a new channel to push their branded skills.

The Lab has extensive experience with building Alexa skills and helping brands navigate the new realities that conversational interfaces are set to bring. If you’re interested in learning more, please reach out and schedule a visit to the Lab. For additional information on how brands can effectively reach consumers on conversational interfaces, please check out the first section of our Outlook 2016.

 

Source: VentureBeat

Amazon Extends Alexa To Fire Tablets, Adds Visual Information Cards

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Amazon is extending its virtual assistant service Alexa to its tablet products, including the $49 Fire tablet and the two Fire HD models. With an over-the-air update, Fire tablet users can now long press the home button to activate Alexa, allowing them to make use of the over 3,000 “skills” that the voice-based personal assistant is currently capable of.

This update also adds a visual component to Alexa, as text-based information cards will now show up on the tablet screens to accompany Alexa’s answers for certain skills. Moreover, those who own a Fire tablet and an Echo device will be able to sync up Alexa across devices so that they can enjoy the typical hands-free experience of summoning Alexa while also receiving supporting visual information on their tablet.

What Brands Should Do
As Amazon continues to improve Alexa’s functionality and expand it to more devices, it is quickly establishing itself as a leader in the digital assistant market. The addition of information cards allows developers and brands to incorporate a visual component into their Alexa skills and enhance the user experience. For instance, this feature should be helpful for Alexa-assisted shopping as it can provide customers with product previews. Boosted by the addition of visuals, the type of conversation-based interactions that Alexa enables is poised to drastically change how consumers get information and interact with brands.

The Lab has extensive experience with building Alexa skills and helping brands navigate the new realities that conversational interfaces are set to bring. If you’re interested in learning more, please reach out and schedule a visit to the Lab. For additional information on how brands can effectively reach consumers on conversational interfaces, please check out the first section of our Outlook 2016.

 

Source: The Verge

Header image is a promotional image courtesy of Amazon

A Stockholm Hotel Is Using Amazon’s Alexa As In-Suite Butlers

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
The Clarion Hotel Amaranten in Stockholm is the first in the world to incorporate Amazon’s voice-based, personal assistant Alexa into its suites. The hotel worked with Edge DNA to integrate hotel-specific functions into Alexa, which can help guests search for information, play music, or order a taxi. The hotel also plans to further integrate Alexa so that guests will soon be able to control the lights, lock the doors, or order room service simply by talking to Alexa.

What Brands Should Do
This is the latest example of how voice-based assistant services may transform customer experiences in hospitality. As Amazon continues to improve Alexa’s functionality and expand it to more devices to reach a bigger audience, brands that wish to stay ahead of the curve need to start working with developers to explore how incorporating conversational interfaces may help improve the customer experience.

The Lab has extensive experience with building Alexa skills and helping brands navigate the new realities that conversational interfaces are set to bring. If you’re interested in learning more, please reach out and schedule a visit to the Lab. For additional information on how brands can effectively reach consumers on conversational interfaces, please check out the first section of our Outlook 2016.

 

Source: Business Insider

Johnnie Walker Would Like To Chat With You About Whiskey

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Whisky brand Johnnie Walker is embracing conversational interfaces as it launches a branded Alexa Skill and a Facebook Messenger chatbot. The Alexa Skill aims to aid product discovery by recommending whisky blends based on user input about taste preference and budget. It can also dispense whisky-related trivia and cocktail recipes. The Messenger chatbot shares similar functions and adds ecommerce integrations with services such as ReserveBar, Cocktail Courier, and Drizly to drive sales.

What Brands Should Do
More and more brands are embracing messaging platforms and voice-based smart devices to engage with consumers through conversations. For instance, fashion brand Coach recently abandoned its two-year-old iOS app and shifted its focus to its “Coachmoji keyboard” to connect with mobile consumers. For additional insights on how brands can effectively reach consumers on conversational interfaces, please check out the first section of our Outlook 2016.

The Lab has extensive experience with building Alexa skills and helping brands navigate the new realities that conversational interfaces are set to bring. If you’re interested in learning more, please contact our Client Services Director Samantha Holland ([email protected]) to schedule a visit to the Lab.

 

Source: Digiday

Amazon Updates Echo Dot With Cheaper Price And Wider Availability

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Amazon has refreshed its Echo Dot product with a cheaper price and wider availability as the ecommerce giant looks to push its digital assistant service Alexa into more homes. The updated Echo Dot is priced at just $49.99, down from $89.99 and it is now available to all U.S. consumers to purchase from Amazon’s website. Previously, Amazon limited Dot’s availability by only allowing users to order it via Alexa. Besides the U.S., Amazon will also release the full Echo lineup in the U.K. and Germany as well.

What Brands Should Do
On Wednesday morning, Amazon announced that the number of available Alexa Skills has grown by three times since June to over 3,000, which shows great interest from developers and brands as they race to conquer the era of voice-based brand-customer interactions. For additional insight on how brands can effectively reach consumers on conversational interfaces, please check out the first section of our Outlook 2016.

The Lab has extensive experience with building Alexa skills and helping brands navigate the new realities that conversational interfaces are set to bring. If you’re interested in learning more, please contact our Client Services Director Samantha Holland ([email protected]) to schedule a visit to the Lab.

 

Source: The Verge

Twitter And Sling TV Venture Into Conversational Interfaces

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Twitter and Sling TV are expanding the ways users can interact with their services as they add support for voice-activated digital assistants. Twitter developed an Alexa Skill that leverages Amazon’s voice assistant service to let users hear trending topics, top tweets, notifications, and more. Sling TV has integrated with Cortana, Microsoft’s voice assistant service, on Windows 10 devices to allow users to search for specific shows or channels via voice commands.

What Brands Need To Do
Conversational interfaces have been gaining traction and voice-based interfaces in particular are changing the way consumers interact with their gadgets, creating a new paradigm for human-computer interaction. Therefore, brands should take a cue from Twitter and Sling TV and start exploring how to integrate your brand’s service into this type of interface.

For more information on how brands can take advantage of the rise of conversational interfaces, please check out the Conversational Interfaces section in our Outlook 2016.

 

Sources: Tech Times & Engadget