Amazon offers early discounts for Alexa users

A new wrinkle in Amazon’s holiday strategy will allow those who communicate with virtual assistant Alexa to gain a several hour head start on key promotions.

Customers who voice shop with Alexa will get an exclusive shopping window several hours earlier than the general public with access to some of the best deals starting at 8 p.m. EST, Wednesday, Nov. 22., according to Amazon. Voice shopping with Alexa is available on a range of Amazon devices including the Echo, Echo Plus, Echo Dot and Amazon Tap, as well as devices with screens such as Amazon Fire TV, Fire HD 10 Tablet, Echo Show and the soon to be released Echo Spot.

The availability of early discounts to voice shoppers using Alexa was revealed as part of a larger holiday announcement filled with standard fare about low prices on key items and how promises of something for everyone this holiday season. The Alexa announcement stands as an example of how Amazon is incentivizing customers to engage with voice shopping in an effort to normalize the behavior during non-seasonal periods and pull customers deeper into the the Amazon ecosystem.

All Amazon customers can choose from more than one hundred million items that are eligible for free shipping, including orders of $25 or more shipped by Amazon, as well as free shipping offers from small business and entrepreneurs selling on Amazon.