Wireless Music, Ultra HD Among Key Amazon Holiday Selling Season Priorities
Amazon highlighted 4K Ultra HD TV, soundbars, Bluetooth audio gear and wearables in the electronics section of its 2014 Holiday Preview event in New York Wednesday. The display -- one of several sections devoted to categories including home improvement, kitchen and sports -- showed a Samsung TV atop a Samsung $399 Sound Stand and next to Samsung’s 320-watt wireless soundbar.
A spokesman told us Ultra HD is a priority category for Amazon in Q4, and said Samsung is coming out with its 105-inch Ultra HD this fall. Samsung showed the 105-inch model last spring as a prototype with no immediate marketing plans (CED March 21 p1). The company didn’t immediately respond to questions about marketing plans for the 105-inch model.
Other TVs featured in a catalog Amazon gave out at the event included Samsung’s 65-inch 4K Ultra HD curved TV ($4,999), Sony’s 65-inch 4K Ultra HD 3D TV ($7,999) and a Sony 55-inch 1080p smart TV ($1,499).
The Amazon spokesman said its customers gravitate toward higher-priced TVs and it will carry Ultra HD TVs from “all the major manufacturers,” citing Samsung, LG, Sony and Sharp. Amazon will also support the market for entry-level buyers with Ultra HD models from companies including Seiki, he said. The retailer expects to offer deals through multiple manufacturers for the holiday period, and it will carry over its “12 days of deals” promotion that includes at least one CE-themed deal on various days during the period from Cyber Monday until Christmas, he said.
Amazon showed a set of Bluetooth speakers in its private-label AmazonBasics line, at prices ranging from $39-$79. The speakers were released two weeks ago, a spokesman said, and are Amazon’s first foray into company-branded speakers to take advantage of the Bluetooth speaker trend. The retailer is also launching Bluetooth headphones in the AmazonBasics line, he said.
In wireless music, Amazon showed a Sonos Play:1 speaker ($199) and the HEOS multi-room audio system recently released by Denon. We noted that the Denon brand only appeared on a metal plate on the back of the unit, while HEOS was prominently stamped on the front. The HEOS wireless speakers ($299-$599) are being positioned as a step-up to the $199 Sonos unit.
In home improvement, Amazon displayed the Wink connected home hub at an $89 list price, but the website had the same $49 price Home Depot touted as a promotional price during the launch of the Wink line through Home Depot stores at an event in New York last week. An Amazon spokeswoman said the company is supporting home automation with a buyer’s guide and how-to videos. She said products like Wink’s hub are simplifying home control products for consumers, allowing them to control multiple products from a single app. Amazon doesn’t offer tech support for products and “redirects” customers to manufacturers for questions, she said. Amazon also encourages manufacturer participation as “official commentators” within Amazon’s reviews community, she said.
On the mobile shopping side, Amazon demonstrated its Flow visual recognition software, which uses a smartphone’s camera to recognize a product that a consumer can buy using the app or add to a wish list. The Flow app looks for shape, size, color and lettering to identify a product details of which a customer wants to save for a future purchase, a spokeswoman said.