{"id":19524,"date":"2018-09-20T09:00:04","date_gmt":"2018-09-20T14:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/?p=19524"},"modified":"2024-10-10T14:14:10","modified_gmt":"2024-10-10T19:14:10","slug":"using-alexa-skills-benefits-online-retailers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/blog\/using-alexa-skills-benefits-online-retailers\/","title":{"rendered":"How Using Alexa Skills Can Benefit Online Retailers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>A few months ago I was reading <a href=\"https:\/\/www.garyvaynerchuk.com\/books\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>Crushing It!<\/em><\/a> by New York Times bestselling author Gary Vaynerchuk. In <em>Crushing It!<\/em>, discusses how entrepreneurs can take advantage of social media, music streaming services, and Alexa skills to create their dream business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the most interesting points Vaynerchuk made in the book was specifically about using Alexa skills:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cWhile brands have developed countless Skills, most deliver the same basic experience. The field is clear for anyone who is clever enough to come up with something fresh and new\u2026.Very soon, as even more brands jump onto these platforms, it will get harder to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/blog\/3-creative-ways-boost-brand-awareness-small-business\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">make a dent in people\u2019s awareness<\/a>. Don\u2019t let this moment pass. Don\u2019t let the big guys snap up all the cheap real estate.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Vaynerchuk definitely has a point. And the numbers back up his claim about the opportunity presented by smart speakers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>By 2017, 45 million homes possessed a smart speaker with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theglobeandmail.com\/business\/article-why-e-commerce-companies-need-to-get-friendly-with-alexa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">voice recognition technology<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Experts predict this will rise to about half of the 120 million US households by 2022.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/03\/22\/virtual-assistant-e-commerce-impact\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">voice shopping market<\/a> is expected to grow from $2 billion in sales to $40 billion in 2022.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is Amazon Alexa?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Amazon\u2019s Echo smart devices are leaders in the smart speaker market. These devices use the Internet of Things (IoT) to connect to other smart technology, like thermostats, light bulbs, and door locks. As long as a device is IoT-enabled, consumers can connect it to an Echo and start automating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>FYI: Many people use Echo and Alexa interchangeably, but they are actually two different things. \u201cEcho\u201d refers to the physical devices that users interact with. And \u201cAlexa\u201d is the voice-activated artificial intelligence (AI) assistant service that communicates with Amazon\u2019s servers and other smart devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Alexa Commands vs. Alexa Skills<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>First, we need to explain the difference between Alexa commands and Alexa skills. Alexa commands are basic requests you ask Alexa to complete. For example, \u201cAlexa, play \u2018Jump\u2019 by Van Halen,\u201d or \u201cAlexa, set an alarm for 6:00 tomorrow morning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But Alexa skills are something separate. Skills are additional voice apps offered in a variety of categories, such as business, shopping, and productivity. All Alexa Skills are free, but some require a subscription service to operate. Third parties can create Alexa skills in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/alexa-skills\/b\/ref=topnav_storetab_a2s?ie=UTF8&amp;node=13727921011\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">about two dozen categories<\/a>. These include business and finance, local, productivity, and shopping, to name a few.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are three ways to turn on an Alexa skill:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Ask Alexa to activate it.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Enable the skill on Amazon.com<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Activate\u00a0the skill in the Alexa mobile app.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How&nbsp;Ecommerce Brands Can Use&nbsp;Alexa Skills<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Using Alexa skills and smart technology is definitely fun and helpful in your personal life. But what you may not realize is your ecommerce business can benefit from Alexa, too. Especially if you take advantage of Alexa skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here&#8217;s how using Alexa skills can help both internal operations as well as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/blog\/enhance-ecommerce-customer-experience\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">customer experience<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Improve Productivity<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fastcompany.com\/40565086\/amazon-is-finally-helping-developers-turn-alexa-skills-into-money\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">As of May 2018<\/a>, there are over 40,000 available Amazon skills. As an online retailer, Alexa can help you with many tasks throughout the day. This includes tracking sales, organizing tasks, getting industry news, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2018\/09\/Shopify-Alexa-Skill-Icon.png.webp\" alt=\"Using Alexa Skills - Shopify Icon\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, if your online store is hosted by Shopify, you can use the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Shopify\/dp\/B01NCM75LX\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Shopify Alexa skill<\/a> to get important information about your store. Ask Alexa for&nbsp;shipment&nbsp;details, inventory levels, or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/blog\/top-20-online-retail-abbreviations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">average order value (AOV)<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2018\/09\/Amazon-Seller-Central-Alexa-Skill-Icon.png.webp\" alt=\"Using Alexa Skills - Amazon Seller Central Icon\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you sell on the Amazon Marketplace, you can use the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Amazon-com-Amazon-Seller-Central\/dp\/B0786SZXDC\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Amazon Seller Central Alexa skill<\/a>. This skill alerts you to&nbsp;any buyer messages awaiting responses and lets you know what your current account balance is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2018\/09\/Astrobot-Alexa-Skill-Icon.png.webp\" alt=\"Using Alexa Skills - Astrobot Icon\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Astro-Technology-Inc-Astrobot-Assistant\/dp\/B072J4PRHB\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Astrobot &#8211; Email Assistant<\/a> is an Alexa skill that connects to your Gmail or Google Apps address. It identifies high-priority emails and&nbsp;shares the details so you can quickly respond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Connect with Customers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Alexa skills are a great tool for ecommerce brands to use internally to improve operations. But Alexa skills also offer retailers the opportunity to open up a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/blog\/multichannel-selling-why-one-channel-isnt-enough\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">new selling channel<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, in 2016 1-800-Flowers launched an Alexa skill that allows consumers to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/news\/now-you-can-ask-alexa-to-send-your-mom-flowers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">order flowers via their Amazon Echo<\/a>. Shoppers can say, \u201cAlexa, send Mom a bouquet of tulips,\u201d and the flower delivery service will handle the rest. If the shopper isn\u2019t quite sure what to order, they can ask Alexa for recommendations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One thing to note is that the 1-800-Flowers Alexa skill isn\u2019t <em>totally<\/em> hands-off. Users must have Amazon Pay enabled and have the recipient\u2019s delivery address already inputted into a 1-800-Flowers account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Create an Alexa Skill<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Ready to get in on the ground floor of ecommerce ordering functionality in Alexa skills? There are companies that will do it for you, or you can use the <a href=\"https:\/\/developer.amazon.com\/alexa-skills-kit\">Alexa Skills Kit<\/a> which gives detailed instructions on how to create a custom skill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re not ready to set up ordering capabilities through Amazon Echo and Alexa, consider creating a skill that offers customer support, deals, or product information. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Carter\u2019s provides a skill where you can ask Alexa questions about your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Carters-Customer-Service\/dp\/B078XML1GX\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Carter&#8217;s, OshKosh B&#8217;gosh, or Skip Hop<\/a> orders.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/B-H-Photo-Deal-Zone\/dp\/B0717B4S56\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">B&amp;H Photo and Video<\/a> created a skill that allows you to ask Alexa for its daily deals.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Rebel Popcorn offers a skill to get up-to-date information on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Tim-Solley-Rebel-Popcorn\/dp\/B01NBSMD8N\/\">Rebel Popcorn flavors<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Next Steps<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Using Alexa skills with the Amazon Echo is certainly great for playing music or checking the forecast. But&nbsp;you can do so much more. Ecommerce companies can use Alexa skills for business purposes, to become more efficient, and even increase sales. Now is the time to explore how using Alexa skills can help you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<center><!--HubSpot Call-to-Action Code --><span id=\"hs-cta-wrapper-c8fae56f-cf07-415d-bf25-aed84c423803\" class=\"hs-cta-wrapper\"><span id=\"hs-cta-c8fae56f-cf07-415d-bf25-aed84c423803\" class=\"hs-cta-node hs-cta-c8fae56f-cf07-415d-bf25-aed84c423803\"><!-- [if lte IE 8]>\n\n\n<div id=\"hs-cta-ie-element\"><\/div>\n\n\n<![endif]--><a href=\"https:\/\/cta-redirect.hubspot.com\/cta\/redirect\/1746827\/c8fae56f-cf07-415d-bf25-aed84c423803\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" id=\"hs-cta-img-c8fae56f-cf07-415d-bf25-aed84c423803\" class=\"hs-cta-img\" style=\"border-width: 0px;\" src=\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/1746827\/c8fae56f-cf07-415d-bf25-aed84c423803.png\" alt=\"Ship Anywhere with ShipStation. Start a free trial.\"><\/a><\/span><script charset=\"utf-8\" src=\"https:\/\/js.hscta.net\/cta\/current.js\"><\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> hbspt.cta.load(1746827, 'c8fae56f-cf07-415d-bf25-aed84c423803', {}); <\/script><\/span><!-- end HubSpot Call-to-Action Code --><\/center>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Amazon Echo and Alexa are great for setting alarms and getting sports updates. But did you know ecommerce brands can also benefit from using Alexa skills?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":77,"featured_media":19920,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19524","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-shipping-basics"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.1 (Yoast SEO v25.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How Using Alexa Skills Can Benefit Online Retailers - ShipStation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Amazon Echo and Alexa are great for setting alarms and getting sports updates. 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