If you’re a fan of Sears Kenmore appliances, you’re now able to bypass sales people and customer-service lines at the big box retailer and instead buy that washing machine or dishwasher with the click of a button.
The retail store announced a partnership with Amazon to sell Kenmore products on the marketplace website back in July, and now, that partnership has come to life. The latest edition is the Kenmore Elite 24-cubic-foot Counter-Depth French Door Bottom-Mount Smart Refrigerator, available on Amazon for $2,499. Even more products will be made available at the end of the year.
The fridge is just one of many Kenmore Smart appliances that are to be integrated with Amazon’s Alexa home system. The availability of Kenmore products on Amazon marks the widest distribution of the appliance brand outside of Sears stores.
“We continuously look for opportunities to enhance the reach of our iconic brands to more customers and create additional value from our assets,” said Edward S. Lampert, chairman and chief executive officer of Sears Holdings. “The launch of Kenmore products on Amazon.com will significantly expand the distribution and availability of the Kenmore brand in the U.S. At the same time, Sears Home Services and our Innovel Solutions unit will benefit from the relationship as more customers experience their quality services for Kenmore products purchased on Amazon.com.”
You’ll now be able to operate Kenmore appliances purchased on Amazon with existing or new Alexa devices. For example, if you own an Alexa- enabled Kenmore air conditioner, you can ask Alexa to set the temperature to 70 degrees – without even leaving the couch.
You can enable the Kenmore Smart skill in the Alexa Skill Store by linking your account and then asking Alexa to interact with your Kenmore Smart appliances.
“Voice is a natural interface for the smart home, so we’re thrilled that customers can now simply ask Alexa to interact with their Kenmore Smart appliances,” said Charlie Kindel, Director of Alexa Smart Home. “We’re excited that Kenmore has added Alexa functionality to these products and we think customers will love the convenience of cooling their home, starting their laundry, and more, using only their voice.”
The retailer will still have brick-and-mortar stores if you’re the type of person who enjoys checking out products in person. You can also expect your Amazon purchases to include Sears-backed white-glove service for delivery, installation, and warranty.
Update: You can now buy Kenmore appliances on Amazon.
