Last week, the massive online marketplace released a television set box that allows consumers to stream video.
Although the obvious purpose of the set box gadget that Amazon has recently released would be to give users the opportunity to stream video on their high-def televisions, there are many that are suggesting that this is only a first step before integrating a tablet commerce experience into the mix.
The Amazon Fire TV provided an affordable device that comes with a number of advanced features.
This gadget currently retails for $99 and while it is similar to Chromecast and Roku in that it allows high-def TVs to stream video from the internet, it also leaps ahead of them with its advanced features which include an optional game controller for an additional $39.99 and a voice enabled remote control. This places the device on a level that would make it more competitive with the likes of products such as Apple TV. At the same time, though, many are speculating that this is a first step toward tablet commerce shopping in a multi screen experience.
Integrating with television could be a direct path toward boosting tablet commerce shopping at home.
As was the case in the release of the Kindle Fire, Amazon’s highly popular and yet still quite affordable tablet, the new Fire TV is not a product that is meant to ensure that the online marketplace is a top player in the hardware sector. Instead, it is a matter of delivering digital content to consumers; a direct path to providing yet another opportunity to shop online.
Amazon has made an effective strategy out of providing consumers with exactly the devices and opportunities that they need in order to be able to shop for products, no matter where they are, when it is, or what they want. Now, it looks as though they are bringing mobile commerce directly to the television set.
This will not only help to skip the very small screen step of shopping on smartphones, but it will also enhance the inclination to pick up the more user-friendly larger mobile device to give tablet commerce a notable boost.
