Introduce the class to a new technology as well as its potential business application: AMAZON ECHO

As a busy working mom of two girls (16 and 4) I’m really excited by the introduction of the Amazon Echo:   

• It is seamlessly integrated with my existing Prime Membership making delivery easy and free (unless you count that nagging annual membership fee!) and within 48 hours.  There’s a reason that Amazon made it so compatible with my Prime Membership and its not because they wanted to reward us for being big spenders – its because they want us to buy more.  I could easily see buying enough to pay for that ‘free shipping’ within a few months if not weeks.   
• As soon as I speak it – it appears!  I will never run out of toilet paper, school supplies or wine again.  Well, I do need to tell it that I’m running low, but thanks to its speaker and voice recognition abilities it will begin to learn what brands I prefer and in the amounts I need it.  The more I tell it about my spending habits, the more it learns about my girls and me.      
• As Echo is further developed, it may be able to integrate with my Calendar and other office software.  Just like voice ordering, I can tell Echo to add an event or item to my calendar and share that information with the kids.      
• Likewise, Echo may be able to not only track my news feeds or blog feeds but may be able to also control my smart home software that control my lights, security and thermostat.

There are tons of “maybe” scenarios, but what it does offer is one less step in my life – but there’s a downside.  Because it recognizes other voices in the house, I could easily come home to a Barbie dream townhouse that the 4 year old has ordered or the new pair of Ugg boots my oldest has been hinting about.

I also have concerns about the information I’m not sharing – Amazon says you can turn the voice recorder/microphone off but can it be turned on remotely? And, when it is on, exactly how much of life, spending habits, and day-to-day activities is it monitoring or tracking?  With so many stories about the hacking of personal information, I have real safety concerns about letting “them” in to my home with access to my children.

As a marketing and brand professional – the Echo is awesome because of those concerns.  As Echo learns my habits it will be able to provide to the minute information about my target demographic and information can be drilled down to the smallest demographic. 

From the Amazon website, “Amazon Echo may exchange information such as your music titles, radio stations, and zip code, with third party services to fulfill your requests.” 

Because Amazon Echo is designed to get better over time – learning your likes, preferences and even your dislikes of services and products its providing real time feedback to businesses allowing them to grow and change as the market grows and changes.

Marketing can be targeted to neighborhoods and even individuals using the Echo data collected – a manufacturer can tailor offers based on your daily habits like when your children’s taste in applesauce change or when they move from diapers to underwear.   And, its not just the actual spending habits of the consumer that will be most important, but the ability to predict how your habits will change over time and tailoring their products to fit you.