Alexa has been a part of Indian households for six years now, making daily tasks simpler and homes smarter. Devices with Alexa (ex. Echo smart speakers, or Fire TV Stick) have been purchased by customers from across 99 percent pin codes in India – they equally reside in metro and non-metro cities. Today millions of users across the country have welcomed Alexa in their lives. Over the years, Amazon has worked with brands in India to increase the selection of compatible smart home appliances that work with Alexa. Additionally, around 80 percent of Alexa’s smart home users have started their journey by purchasing an Echo smart speaker bundled with a smart bulb. These efforts and heightened customer awareness have resulted in a 200 percent increase in smart home devices connected to Alexa in India in the last three years.
With a rise in connected devices in last three years, there is also a 100 percent increase in requests to Alexa for controlling compatible smart home appliances such as smart lights, plugs, fans, TVs, security cameras, ACs, water heaters, and air purifiers. This includes requests that users can conveniently ask in English, Hindi, or Hinglish, such as, “Alexa, geyser चला दो”, “Alexa, turn off AC after 15 minutes”, or “Alexa, hall की lights dim कर दो”. Asking Alexa to control the lights is one of the most common smart home requests. Indian customers are also evolving in their smart home journey – in the last year usage of Alexa to control smart fans and smart ACs increased by 37 percent, which is the highest amongst all smart home appliances.
“Since we launched Alexa and Echo smart speakers in India, the smart home sector has evolved significantly, and voice technology has played a massive role in this. Customers can easily set up a smart home by getting a compatible smart bulb and instantly control with Alexa, or get a smart plug to automate existing appliances. It’s clear that more people are seeing how setting up a smart home is not as complex as they had imagined,” said Parag Gupta, Director and Country Manager, Amazon Devices, India. “We’re encouraged by this growing trend and are excited to continue innovating on behalf of our customers. With the rising selection of smart home devices that work with Alexa, I am excited to see more Indians adopt the smart way of living.”
Smart home brands in India have been innovating to launch locally relevant smart devices such as tube lights, ceiling fans, IR blasters, and smart strips that cater to Indian home environments. Today, there are thousands of Alexa-compatible smart home appliances for customers to choose from. This selection has increased by 12 percent in the last year with new products from brands such as Xiaomi, OnePlus, Hindware, and Atomberg. Setting up a smart home powered by Alexa has now become simpler than ever.
Making smart home features more useful for customers As customers are pairing more devices with Alexa to use at home, Amazon is continuing to introduce new ways home automation can be made simpler and efficient.
Redesigned Alexa app: The recently refreshed Alexa app brings smart home front and centre and enables customers to access their most-used devices and features within one to two taps. We have options like ‘Favourites’, a ‘Home Shortcuts Bar’, a more streamlined ‘Activity’ section, new search controls, and filters for connected devices which make the app easier for customers to use.
Alexa Connect Kit smart bulb: Customers can now enjoy a quick, easy and simple set up of smart bulbs in their home. Recently, Wipro launched the first RGBW light bulb in India using the Alexa Connect Kit (ACK). Wipro’s light bulb supports Amazon’s Frustration-Free Setup to simplify the device setup experience with Alexa. Frustration-Free Setup allows the devices to connect automatically when purchased through Amazon.in, linked to the customer’s Alexa account during checkout, and then powered on. Once set up, customers can control the Wipro bulb through Alexa—whether that’s through voice using an Echo smart speaker or in the Alexa app.
Wake-up Lighting: Customers can simulate a natural sunrise using Alexa’s Wake-up lighting capability. Smart lights that support dimming and colour temperature can mimic the sunrise by gradually brightening and transitioning from warm to cool lighting to help one slowly wake up out of deep sleep. This feature can easily be enabled using the ‘Routines’ section in the Alexa app or be added to each alarm individually.
Timed actions: Alexa customers can use their voice to turn on or turn off their smart home devices such as lights, fans, TVs, and more, at a later time or for a certain duration. With simple phrases like “Alexa, turn on the lights at 6 PM today” and “Alexa, 2 minute के लिए light ON कर दो” customers can focus on other meaningful activities while also ensuring their daily tasks get done as planned.