In 2017, we were excited to share Amazon’s announcement that Alexa had learned her 10,000th skill. As impressive as the swift adoption of voice skills was back then, it was just the tip of the iceberg. Just three years later, Alexa is up to over 100,000 skills.
Alexa’s growth is certainly impressive. While in January 2016, there were a mere 130 skills available a little over a year later, she was up to 10,000 skills. Back then, some people were questioning how many of the 10,000 skills were actually useful. Fast forward to today and, while there are some skills that are more about brand promotion than usefulness, we’ve made tremendous strides in understanding the unique ways that voice skills can add value or remove friction from customers’ lives. Mobiquity has worked with major brands, including Butterball, Nestle, Atom Tickets, and others to give them new ways to connect with their customers, encouraging other companies to follow suit.
It’s safe to say that the steady growth in Alexa skills since her launch in 2016 is a strong indication that she’s now a part of the mainstream. She’s following in the footsteps of the smartphone and the countless other innovations that have taken hold before her. What’s more, brands have moved beyond trying to figure out what features users want in a voice skill. Instead, they are looking to address bigger questions with answers that will position Alexa for maturity in the enterprise. How can they monetize their efforts? What impact can Alexa have on their business models? What operational changes should they implement? And maybe most importantly, how can they measure success?
Dennis Maloney, Chief Digital Officer at Domino’s, was an early Alexa adopter and perhaps had the most accurate prediction when he said that it’s often “two steps forward, one step back” as his company continues to innovate in this uncharted territory. But, as the pace of Alexa skills continues to accelerate, Domino’s isn’t the only brand taking huge steps toward innovative customer experiences. We’ve already seen major brands make waves. Plus, there are commercials promoting her skills, and even the release of Amazon Echo Auto – with Nationwide giving away 1 million devices to increase safety and brand loyalty in the increasingly competitive property and casualty space.
With so many brands getting on board, it’s clear that Alexa has come so far in just a short period of time. It makes you wonder how quickly she’ll get to the next 100,000, or even half a million skills!
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