If it were not enough with the price increase that Amazon Prime subscribers will suffer from September 15, which in the case of Spain, the monthly fee goes from 3.99 euros to 4.99 euros, and the annual fee of 36 euros to 49.90 euros, assuming increases of 25% and 38.8%, respectively, a recent report by Bloomberg shows that Amazon is also embracing the possibility of introducing app pop-up ads and Alexa skills on Echo Show devices .
While the Echo Dot smart speaker is the best-selling Alexa ecosystem device, the company is putting special emphasis on selling Alexa-enabled smart display devices of late, including a device with a 15-inch screen launched last year. and presented as a family hub.
But the company finds it difficult to convince users to use smart screens instead of mobile phones to solve their needs, mainly because users tend to use smart devices under Alexa for more basic functions. , and the interest in these devices declines as it goes from being a novelty to being just another device.
An additional source of income for Amazon
In this regard, Amazon is contacting app developers and Alexa skills to be able to bring pop-up ads to Echo Show devices. In this way, developers could continue to maintain interest in this platform, being able to get their applications and skills to users who would otherwise have a hard time finding what they need to get the most out of Alexa.
For Aaron Rubenson, an Amazon vice president who leads teams working on developer tools, paid promotions are “something that developers have asked us to do,” adding that “there are times when developers really want to draw attention to their skill.” .
But in addition to allowing developers to bring their products to more users, Amazon also wants to make the Alexa platform attractive to developers in terms of revenue as well.
That’s why, according to Bloomberg, developers will soon get a bigger share of revenue, with those earning less than $1 million soon getting 80% of sales generated through in-app purchases or subscriptions, instead. instead of the current 70%, although it is also aimed at receiving an additional 10%, for now in cash, although later on eventually also as credits for advertisements or other gifts, according to Rubenson clarifies to the aforementioned publication.
From Amazon they also hope to help developers whose applications and skills, despite their quality or even their reach of users, do not directly generate income. For now there are 300 million smart devices linked to Alexa compared to 200 million in September of last year.
Still, Alexa doesn’t generate enough revenue, and it hasn’t served the company’s intentions to enable purchases via voice commands either.
More information: Bloomberg
Image Credit: Amazon
