Amazon Alexa, the company's voice-controlled digital assistant, is now upping its game by letting you order millions of products simply by uttering voice commands.
With the latest update, Alexa just got a whole lot better at shopping and you can now buy things through Alexa on the Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, Tap and Fire TV. Amazon says that tens of millions of items are available for order through Alexa, but there are also some products that are off-limits.
Things such as shoes, apparel, watches, jewelry, add-on items or products part of Amazon Fresh, Prime Pantry or Prime Now are not eligible for voice purchasing through Alexa, notes Amazon.
For other items, it's as easy as it gets. You can simply say "Alexa, order me some Colgate toothpaste" and then say "Yes" to confirm your purchase. Alexa will instantly place your order, conveniently and hassle-free.
When you place an order through Alexa, the digital assistant orders the product using the default 1-Click payment method in Your Account, Amazon further explains. The physical items you order are eligible for free returns.
Users can also change their shopping settings in the Alexa app. For instance, you can turn off voice purchasing if you don't plan on using it, or set it to require a confirmation code before placing orders if you want to be more cautious. An Amazon support page can tell you more about how to Manage Voice Purchasing Settings.
Before this update that widens its scope, Alexa could only re-order various items you had ordered before, Amazon's Choice products, or the tiny Amazon Echo Dot. The update adds far more options, but it's currently limited to Amazon Prime customers. This means that without a Prime subscription, you can't take advantage of voice purchasing through Alexa.
Voice-activated virtual assistants seem to be gaining ground in the fast-paced technology scene, and Amazon does have some competition. In May, for instance, Google Home made its debut as a direct competitor to Amazon Echo. Apple is also spicing things up with its SiriKit for iOS and other companies could join the fun soon enough.
It remains to be seen how the race will pan out, but Amazon is definitely a tough competitor and the new Alexa functionality further boosts its appeal. Alexa will likely pay an increasingly more important part in the company's plans and things are looking up.
Will you be ordering items by voice command through Alexa?
