By: Vince Kattoula
If you were at CES last month, one name you heard everyone saying is “Alexa.” As the voice of Amazon Echo, many device makers were featuring her in their products – and for good reason. By this summer, it is predicted that nearly 30 million families will have added some sort of smart technology to their household. Therefore, we’re confident that voice command technology will quickly gain traction in homes, condos, apartments, college dorms, and even hotel rooms.
Devices like Echo and Google Home appear poised to be the new technology (and with certain new home door locks, literal) gatekeepers in the home. They provide the interface to all kinds of other devices, appliances, and other ordinary household objects that are rapidly becoming part of the “Internet of Things.” These gatekeepers not only provide consumers unheard of control over their environment, they are yet another source of user data.
By collecting and analyzing data on consumer behavior, brands can create improved and more targeted ad campaigns. Alexa and her competitors are even interfacing with one of our favorite topics around here: The Connected Car. Our partners at Ford understand how important voice command technology has become. Earlier this year, the automaker announced a partnership with Amazon that would bring Alexa into Fusions, Explorers, Escapes, and their other vehicles. Connecting the home and car will empower drivers to start their car with a simple voice command, or turn up the heat before returning home.
From playing a stream or podcast to setting the temperature or turning on the lights, there’s a lot these devices can do. At jācapps, we have been working on developing “skills” for Alexa. We’ve been playing with our Echo (and yes, our Google Home) because of its huge potential to redefine the way consumers inform and entertain themselves where they live.
So, in our ever more “connected” world, it appears that offering consumers just a smartphone app won’t cut it anymore. Your brand needs to follow your audience wherever they may be. This means offering them apps everywhere (or App Everywhere℠ as we like to say) in the car and now … in their homes.
Click here to reach out to us with questions about your brand’s mobile strategy for 2017. You can also give us a call at 248-353-9030 or email sales@jacapps.com.
