Commentary
82% Unlikely To Buy An Amazon Echo Look
- by Chuck Martin , Staff Writer, May 10, 2017
Although Amazon is currently dominating the market for digital home assistants, one of its two new devices doesn’t look like it’s a big draw for consumers.
The Echo Look, with four built-in LED lights, a hands-free camera, microphone and speaker, was announced last month.
Even though the device is a bit of a step up from the mainstay Echo, the majority of consumers have little interest in it, based on a new study by BI Intelligence.
Most (82%) consumers say they are unlikely to buy it, according to the global survey of 1,900 consumers. BI Intelligence included a description of the Amazon Look and its features in the survey so respondents were aware of the device’s capabilities.
More than a quarter (27%) of consumers said they would never buy an Amazon Look. Here’s the breakdown of how likely people are to purchase one:
- 55% -- I’m probably not going to buy it
- 27% -- I would never buy it
- 14% -- I’ll buy it in the next year
- 3% -- I’ll buy it as soon as I can
Even worse, the main features of the Echo Look fail to draw interest. Almost one-third of consumers said they wouldn’t use the device and almost one-quarter said they would not use the style feature nor the camera, the major differentiating features from an ordinary Echo. Here are the reasons consumers say they are unlikely to buy an Echo Look:
- 32% -- I wouldn’t use it
- 23% -- I’m worried about my privacy
- 23% -- I’m not interested in the style feature
- 10% -- It’s too expensive
- 6% -- I doubt the style feature would work well
- 2% -- I have something like it already
The good news for Amazon is that it just this week introduced yet another voice assistant, the Echo Show, which includes a screen. This one can make video calls and do all the other things an Echo is supposed to do with Alexa.
At this stage, it appears the Echo Look, as it’s configured and intended, may become a niche product.
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All kinds of smart home technology will be discussed at the MediaPost IoT Marketing Forum May 18 in New York. Here’s the agenda.
Chuck Martin is Editor of the AI & IoT Daily at MediaPost and writes the daily Connected Thinking column. He is a NY Times Business bestselling author and his latest book is “Digital Transformation 3.0” (The New Business-to-Consumer Connections of The Internet of Things.) He is CEO of Net Future Institute and a frequent keynote speaker internationally. Follow him on Twitter @chuckmartin and contact him at Chuck@MediaPost.com.
A device connected to the Internet that could be listening to you 24/7 in your own home: Who wouldn't want one?
It does have an on/off switch, like the other Echos, but still a good point Douglas.
I think these are all elements of the future connected home. Think of sci-fi movies with computers that spoke to you like people. They had eyes everywhere, could assist in any situation. Right now it's a separate device in the dressing room and another in the living room and kitchen... These are some of the applications that AI presents to us. And yes, the implications beyond that, the potential invasion of privacy... How many of these stories featured computers like HAL 9000?
Points well taken, Jonathan. Many of these disparate parts are basically indicators of trends and where the market is heading....eventually. It is a long road.
Never. The perfect spy. 1984 with HAL taking over or worse.