Putting all of its other skills and tricks aside, we must never forget that one of Amazon’s primary objectives with the Echo (and Alexa) is to make it dead simple and convenient for you to continually buy more stuff from Amazon. You can place an order in seconds and track it to your doorstep — all just with voice. Echo speakers and the Echo Show can already track incoming deliveries. Just ask “Alexa, where’s my stuff?” And ahead of the company’s made-up holiday shopping extravaganza, Prime Day, on July 11th, Amazon is adding to that functionality slightly; now your Echo will light up a different color when it’s delivery day.
After you’ve checked on an order status, Alexa will ask if you’d like to be notified when the package is out for delivery. If you say yes, your Echo’s LED ring will glow yellow on the day your items are set to arrive.
Now, a notification when something is out for delivery isn’t super useful — that timeframe can often span hours. Hopefully, in instances where a signature isn’t required, Alexa will notify you as soon as the package is dropped off so you know when to race for the door, open up your new whatever, and then immediately go order something else.