Without a doubt, Amazon’s Alexa, along with other smart speakers, will by flying off the shelves this holiday season, as brisk sales figures are projected. And with iHeartRadio’s new Alexa skill, you can connect directly with Santa to create your personal Christmas playlist. Just say, “Alexa, talk to Santa Claus.”
Then, Santa will ask a series of questions that will lead you to a holiday music listening experience that’s created especially for you. He’ll ask yes or no questions like “Do you have a hankering for some country holiday favorites?” or sassier questions like “Can I interest you in songs millennials have never heard of?” Santa will then play the perfect holiday soundtrack for your season — from stations like iHeartChristmas, playing favorite holiday songs, to North Pole Radio, hosted by Santa Claus himself.
According to iHeartRadio, this is not just a holiday promotion. The new skill will be available 24/7/365, so users can celebrate Christmas in July if they like.
Santa’s phone ought to be ringing off the hook. According to the latest available figures published by Voicebot.ai, 4.2 million smart speakers were shipped in Q2. Industry analysts predict even bigger numbers for Q4, which ends with the Christmas season. When you factor in Apple HomePod, Harman Invoke powered by Cortana, and new announcements from IFA by Sony, Harman, JBL and others joining Echo and Google Home, sales topping 10 million units seem quite possible
