ZDNet has a piece about Amazon's broad "device strategy," as the company has "grown into a giant of the tech world with a vast portfolio of devices, from e-readers to video doorbells and everything in between … Amazon's strategy is to create products for every single aspect of your life, to facilitate everyday tasks. By creating products to fill even more niches, it cements consumers into its product ecosystem."
"Our research shows that most consumers prefer to buy smart home devices from a single vendor or brand, rather than mixing and matching from multiple brands," Adam Wright, research manager at tech analyst IDC, tells ZDNet. "Part of this is driven by brand loyalty and trust – consumers that have a positive experience with a brand that provides smart home devices and services are more likely to trust that brand and seek out additional products and services from that brand rather than risk using a different brand that is unfamiliar."
This is a timely observation since today, Amazon is scheduled "to add a new wave of devices to its portfolio, as it's holding a virtual event during which a number of new and updated devices are expected to be unveiled."
- KC's View:
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One of the most interesting parts of the story is the list of devices developed and sold by Amazon:
Fire Tablets
Fire Kids Tablets
Fire TVs
Fire TV sticks
Kindle E-readers
Echo speakers
Echo smart displays
Echo Auto
Echo Buds
Echo Frames
Echo Link (a device that allows you to connect streaming music to your stereo system)
Echo Glow (multicolor smart lamp)
Amazon Smart Plug
Amazon Halo Band (health and wellness band)
Amazon Smart Thermostat
Amazon Astro (Household robot)
Amazon Smart Air Quality Monitor
Amazon Eero (Wi-Fi system)
Amazon smart soap dispenser
Ring doorbell, lighting and security systems
Blink doorbell and security systems
And that doesn't count what the story calls the "hundreds of thousands of non-Amazon devices that also connect to Alexa" that have been created by third-party manufacturers and developers.
And, this list doesn't even consider the expanded portfolio of services that Amazon offers, from retailing to movies to NFL football games.
I've been making this point for years - that while most of its competitors simply have as their goal to ability to sell more stuff to people, Amazon's goal is to grow by becoming inextricably, ubiquitously intertwined with every aspect of our lives. But even I'm a little taken aback by the extent of its infiltration.
