Ocado intros new shopping app

Wednesday, August 30, 2017 - 11:15 by David Aiken

Ordering groceries via safe shopping online is now possible for UK owners of the Amazon Echo smart speaker thanks to the first compatible app to arrive from delivery firm, Ocado.

The Daily Mail reports that Ocado has managed to beat its supermarket rivals to the punch and put out the app which works in tandem with Alexa, the voice-controlled digital assistant often seen as synonymous with the Echo speaker.

Customers who want to place an order can make adjustments to an existing e-commerce basket simply by speaking to Alexa. And as long as the products are offered by Ocado, they will arrive at the allotted time along with the rest of the items requested.

The only downside for the time being is that it is not possible to create an entirely new order from scratch. So using a computer, smartphone or tablet to access Ocado’s site is still necessary, at least in the short term.

One benefit of Ocado’s Alexa-compatible app is that it enables customers to check up on the groceries that they have already added to their upcoming delivery. They can even check the delivery time and adjust this if necessary as other commitments get in the way.

Spokesperson, Lawrence Hene, said that the new app would make safe shopping online even simpler for Ocado customers to use, giving them the power to control their orders more directly while they are completing other tasks around the home.

Other supermarkets will, doubtless, be eager to deliver their own Alexa-enhanced apps in the coming months, although Amazon itself may want to ensure that its own shopping services are not overshadowed as its rivals piggyback on its smart speaker. Likewise, Ocado’s early lead may put it at an advantage today, but competitors cannot be too far behind it.