Amazon debuts all-new Echo Spot ahead of Prime Day

Dive Brief:

• Adding another Alexa-enabled device to its product lineup, Amazon has launched the all-new Echo Spot smart alarm clock, the e-commerce giant announced Monday. The device builds on the original Echo spot product from 2017, but with “better visuals and improved audio quality,” according to the company.
• Amazon is discounting the product during its Prime Day sale, offering Echo Spot for $44.99 for Prime members through July 17, down over 40% from its full price of $79.99.
• Available in three colors, the Echo Spot displays the weather report, plays music, broadcasts the news and can be connected to compatible smart home products, per the press release. The device can also be set up with Alexa Routines to help automate daily tasks.

Dive Insight:

Amazon’s Echo Spot debut comes as the company invests in other tech tools. Earlier this year, Amazon introduced Rufus, a generative AI shopping tool, after first launching in beta.

CEO Andy Jassy in April said Amazon is building a number of generative AI applications across its consumer business with a focus on improving Alexa, providing better advertising capabilities, developing digital shopping assistants and creating seller-centric applications.

However, last fall Amazon said it would let go of “several hundred” roles from its Alexa division. The company at the time declined to confirm how many workers were impacted and their specific roles within Amazon’s devices business. The company is also reportedly exploring charging an Alexa subscription fee in a move that could help offset the costs of the technology.

Meanwhile, Amazon touted the popularity of the voice assistant in its Echo Spot announcement. “Alexa answers multiple requests every millisecond, with customers asking for the weather, to set a reminder or to set an alarm tens of millions of times every day,” the company said.

Besides its Echo Spot device, Amazon is offering Prime Day discounts on various products from brands like Sony, Allbirds, Clinique and Peloton. Meanwhile, other major retailers, including Best Buy, Target, Walmart and Kohl’s, are hosting their own summer sales events around the same time.