Amazon Sets Expanded Prime Day For July 15
With the event this year expanded to 48 hours, Amazon will launch its annual Prime Day at midnight Pacific Time on Monday, July 15.
Alexa
Qurate To Launch Expanded Digital, Social Platforms
Qurate Retail Group is rolling out several programs that company officials said build on its history in video, digital and social e-commerce.
Travelers Promoting Smart Home Kits On Amazon.com
Travelers is teaming up with Amazon.com to offer discounted smart home kits as well as insurance and risk management information through what it described as the insurance industry’s first digital storefront, Amazon.com/Travelers.
Strategy Analytics: Smart Home Devices To Boom By 2025
Sales of smart home devices with voice control, excluding smart speakers, will leap from just 154,000 units in 2018 to 32.3 million in 2025, according to the report “2018 Smart Home Devices with Voice Control” by Strategy Analytics.
iRobot Rolls Out New Roomba Connected Robotic Vacuums
iRobot has rolled out its new Roomba i7+ robotic vacuum with clean base automatic dirt disposal, and the Roomba e5 robotic vacuum.
Amazon Expands San Diego Tech Hub
Amazon is expanding its San Diego Tech Hub and plans to create 300 new high tech jobs in fields including software development, machine learning, cloud computing, and digital entertainment.
First Alert Launches Safe & Sound Connected Smoke Alarm
First Alert has launched the connected Onelink Safe & Sound smoke, fire and carbon monoxide detector with Alexa and Apple Home Kit integration. The alarm also features entertainment and lifestyle features such as connected audio functions.
Amazon Opens Smart Home Experience Centers
Amazon is opening interactive Amazon Experience Centers within select Lennar model homes across the U.S. In these Alexa-enabled smart homes, consumers can try out Alexa to control the television, lights, thermostat, shades, and more.
Amazon Expanding Boston Technology Hub
Amazon will expand its Boston Tech Hub and begin looking to fill an additional 2,000 technology jobs in the vicinity across fields including machine learning, speech science, cloud computing and robotics engineering.
Amazon Sales, Earnings Reach New Heights In Q1
Amazon blew past Wall Street estimates in its first quarter, showing a strong surge in sales and earnings.
Amazon’s Bezos Reveals Prime Service Has More Than 100 Million Members
In a letter to shareholders, Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com CEO, detailed highlights of the 2017 fiscal year, and revealed that the company has exceeded 100 million paid Prime memberships worldwide just 13 years after the program’s launch.
Amazon Rings Up Smart Home Related Acquisition
According to a report in GeekWire, Amazon.com has acquired Ring, which makes video cameras, Internet-connected doorbells and other smart home devices.
Lamps Plus Taps Linc Global For Voice Tracking Functions
Lamps Plus has implemented Linc Global’s artificial intelligence-powered platform to offer shoppers instant tracking for orders via voice digital channels.
Survey: Tech-Wary Shoppers Shift Online For Holidays
A survey from IFTTT, which provides software that facilitates the use of services, indicated that 58% of consumers in the U.S. change their shopping preferences during the holiday season, with the majority shifting to shop online more toward the end of the year.
Kohl’s Debuts Amazon Smart Home Shops
Kohl’s has debuted the new Amazon Smart Home Experience concept in 10 select Kohl’s stores across the Los Angeles and Chicago areas.
Amazon Advances Next Generation Echo Devices
Amazon is introducing a new generation of Alexa voice-controlled Echo devices, including a premium model with additional smart home capabilities.
Walmart Teams With Google On Voice Activated Shopping
Walmart is getting into the online voice activated ordering game, teaming up with Google, as it looks to compete with Amazon.com, which allows voice ordering through its Alexa operating system.
Sears Launching Kenmore Products On Amazon
Sears Holdings is launching a line of Kenmore products on Amazon.com, which includes the integration of the full line of Kenmore smart appliances with Amazon Alexa.
NPD: Amazon’s Prime Day Connects With Nespresso
Among the potential housewares beneficiaries of Prime Day and Amazon’s push to sell more of its Alexa-operated devices is Nespresso, according to NPD Group Checkout Tracking, a service that analyzes receipt data.
Amazon Rolls Out Smart Home Consultation Service
Amazon.com has rolled out a smart home consultation service, free of charge for consumers looking to know more about home automation, according to multiple published reports.