Monthly Archives: March 2019

Alexa is listening. And responding. And changing the way we work in our kitchen forever. Alexa, of course, is the virtual assistant inside the Amazon Echo and Echo Dot speakers. It comes with considerable capabilities already built in and users can add from a fast-growing selection of “skills” — apps developed by third parties and available for downloading onto the speakers and smartphones. Alexa speakers are popping up everywhere, and the amazing ability to provide real-time information, podcasts and streaming audio on just about any topic imaginable is not restricted to the speakers themselves. Amazon also provides a mobile app for Apple and Android phones that requires the user to simply push a button on the screen to activate Alexa’s listening mode. Otherwise, simply say “Alexa” and the speaker turns on, ready for your command. Amazon announced in January that it had sold

Sleek design and connected functionality are home appliance trends that retailers need to keep in mind as they serve their customers in 2019 and beyond. Millennials are driving much of this, and they can’t be ignored. This generation — people born between 1982 and 2000 — is now the nation’s largest and coming into their own as homeowners and appliance buyers. These are largely digital natives. More than 90% own smartphones and, along with the exploding adoption of Alexa and Google Home smart speakers, this generation and the young Americans behind them expect to be able to do nearly everything with technology.

Appliance makers are responding by building refrigerators that display their contents, washing machines that order detergent on their own, and dishwashers that can be told to turn on and off by users across the room or across the country. There are also ae