Through the Amazon Echo Dot service (commonly known as Alexa), Morrisons grocery chain shoppers can now order their food online.

In a statement, Morrisons said: “Morrisons online shoppers will now be order their weekly shop from Morrisons.com using only their voice.

“Customers will be able to ask Alexa to add milk, bread or any other item to their Morrisons.com shopping list.

“They will also be able to ask Alexa to edit their order; ask if their delivery is on time; or check their basket to see if an item has been requested.”

Matt Kelleher, Morrisons Online Director, said: “Customers are increasingly using voice commands in their everyday lives to check the weather, play music, or find out the latest news. It is important we follow this emerging trend and make Morrisons an easier and more accessible place to shop for groceries online. It’s exciting that our customers can now shop without even needing to login to a computer or mobile phone.”

This is part of the Internet of Things phenomenon where the Alexa service can boil your kettle as you’re coming through the front door, switch lights on and off, and manage your central heating. There is some trade off though – there are strong suspicions that Amazon is harvesting voice data for its own advertising purposes to the point that nowhere will be safe from commercial advertising snooping. While it will be convenient to buy Morrisons groceries by voice, what else will Amazon be harvesting from your conversations? From a commercial perspective a goldmine, from a privacy perspective, a nightmare.
 
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