Amazon Considers Advertising Opportunities for Alexa Plus

Amazon is exploring the potential of integrating advertising into its advanced voice assistant, Alexa Plus. This consideration was revealed by Amazon's CEO during a recent discussion with investors. Despite the fact that Alexa Plus will operate under a subscription model, the CEO sees a promising avenue for advertising within this platform.

According to insights shared during the investor call, the CEO noted that customers are increasingly using Alexa Plus for shopping, which enhances the overall shopping experience. He expressed confidence that there will be greater opportunities to incorporate advertisements as the technology evolves. The more natural conversations that users have with Alexa Plus can serve as a vehicle for seamlessly integrating product recommendations into these interactions.

Currently, Alexa Plus is undergoing testing in the United States and is expected to be available for a monthly fee of $20. The standard version of Alexa will continue to be available, which already includes several advertising elements, particularly on devices equipped with screens, like the Echo Show.

Amazon has been tirelessly working on an updated version of its Alexa voice assistant, especially since its previous iterations have not been financially successful for the company. The new Alexa Plus aims to leverage modern artificial intelligence technologies to facilitate longer and more natural conversations with users. However, the rollout of Alexa Plus has faced numerous challenges, resulting in multiple delays. As of now, there is no confirmed launch date for the service in Germany.

In addition to these developments, Amazon has also integrated advertising into its streaming service, Prime Video. Users wishing to access content for free are required to pay an additional fee on top of their standard subscription. Whether a similar pricing model will be applied to Alexa Plus remains uncertain.