Amazon’s strategy to bring its intelligent home speaker to market has been a little … different.
The Echo was first introduced in a promo video more than a month before it started shipping to customers. For a time, Prime members could get one for deep discount, but only if they were selected by Amazon. In June, it finally went on sale to the general public, but only on Amazon.
Today, more than a year after its debut, Amazon announced that the Echo is coming to third-party physical retail stores for the first time.
The Echo will be available at Staples, The Home Depot, Sears, Fred Meyer and various other big box and electronics stores. It’s coming to more than 3,000 retail locations across the U.S. in time for holiday shopping. It will cost the same $179.99 as it does on Amazon’s site.
Amazon was already working with Staples to sell the Echo in the office supply chain’s online store, but customers have never before been able to purchase the Echo at a physical location. However, this isn’t the first Amazon-made product to hit store shelves. Staples, Fred Meyer and a handful of other retailers already offer Kindles and Fire TVs to their customers.
But by offering the Echo at hardware stores like The Home Depot where many smart home appliances are sold, Amazon and its partners are positioning the Echo as a smart home device.
“Our customers continue to show interest in smart home products across the many categories we carry. One of our newest products, Amazon Echo, is a smart device that helps make connected home easy and fun,” said Home Depot merchandising vice president Jeff Epstein in a statement. “Echo, paired with smart lighting devices, is an excellent gift for this holiday season.”
When coupled with the Alexa Skills Kit and the ability to control smart appliances, Amazon is pushing harder and harder to make the Echo the brains of the future smart home.
