INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Amazon is expanding its program that pays developers directly for their top-performing Alexa skills, by now offering these &developer
rewards,& as they&re called, to those based in the U.K
and Germany who publish &kid& skills
This emerging skill category was one of the last to be included in the developer rewards program, which already offered payments for top
skills in over half a dozen other categories, including Education Reference; Food Drink; Games, Trivia Accessories; Health Fitness;
Lifestyle; Music Audio; and Productivity.
The developer rewards program quietly launched just over a year ago, as a way to encourage
developers to build voice apps for Alexa before the ecosystem had expanded to include support for other monetization options like the in-app
purchases and subscriptions offered today
The program helped to seed Amazon skill store with more content, while also rewarding quality apps that gain traction with consumers.
The
initiative has seemingly had an impact & Alexa is now adding 5,000 new skills every 100 days, and reached over 30,000 in the U.S
as of March.
Amazon says today it has since paid out &millions& to developers in 23 countries as a result of this program.
Some individual
voice app developers, like game maker Volley, have reported earning in the five-figure range on a monthly basis from Amazon program, to give
you an idea of the payout potential.
With the expansion to Kids skills in the U.K
and Germany, the hope is now to encourage U.S
developers to roll out their app (or localize it) for other markets.
Making other markets a priority will be important for Amazon, as the
smart speaker race heats up outside the U.S
Earlier this month, analysts at Canalys noted that U.S
smart speaker market share fell below 50 percent for the first time
Notably, Google outsold Amazon for the first time as well, with 3.2 million Google Home and Home Minis sold to Amazon 2.5 million Echo
shipments.
This also comes on the heels of Amazon launch of an Echo Dot Kids Edition, which combines Echo Dot hardware with a FreeTiime
Unlimited subscription for kid-safe content, including, now, the ability to whitelist voice apps.
In addition to the inclusion of kid skills
in the developer rewards, Amazon also announced a new perk for developers: free Echo devices
If the skill gains 100 customers in the first 30 days live, developers earn an Echo Dot
If it has the most unique users that month, they earn an Echo Spot
And just for publishing, they&ll receive an Amazon Alexa backpack
These are limited time promotions, however & more details are here (U.K.) and here (Germany).
