There are a lot of shopping list apps out there, and that's an understatement. Back in the early days of app development, shopping lists were one of the most popular simple projects, and even now people learning the ropes typically toss one together. But Out of Milk has stood the test of time for the last seven years. And now managing your shopping list is getting just a bit more convenient via the new Out of Milk voice assistant, which works with both Amazon's Alexa and Google's Assistant.
There are a couple of steps you'll have to make to get things working as they should. The full instructions for Google Home are here (and Alexa instructions are here), but remember that the Out of Milk voice assistant requires you to use an account created on the Out of Milk app or website. Once it's set up you'll be able to yell at your assistant of choice and make use of the following features:
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Add and remove items to a list (e.g. “Add rice to my list.”)
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Include the quantity of an item on a list (e.g. “Add two gallons of milk to my list.”)
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Add multiple items at once to a list (e.g. “Add bananas, cereal, and butter to my list.”)
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Check which list their editing (e.g. “Which list am I in?”)
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Switch between existing lists (e.g. “Switch to my ‘Walmart’ list.”)
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Read off items on a list (e.g. “What is on my current list?”)
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Read off all lists (e.g. “What lists do I have?”)
If you haven't used Out of Milk, it's pretty nifty. It allows you to add items to lists synced with other devices as well as friends or family. And you don't just have to type or dictate, it can also scan barcodes. So the next time you toss out an empty bottle or box, you can quickly make sure you'll grab it on your next shopping trip.
Ready to give things a try? You can download Out of Milk at Google Play. The app has a 4.6-star rating with over 5 million downloads, so it's probably worth taking a look at. At least, if you're in the market for a new shopping list app.
PRESS RELEASE
CHICAGO, IL (September 11, 2017) – Out of Milk (www.outofmilk.com), the biggest shopping list app on Android in North America, today announced the Out of Milk voice assistant, which is now available through Amazon Echo and Google Home powered by Google Assistant. With this launch, Out of Milk users can now instantly and easily build and manage entire shopping lists just by speaking, making shopping-trip planning a breeze.
“Bringing Out of Milk to Amazon Echo’s Alexa and Google Assistant was one of the most requested features from Out of Milk users,” said Dan Cripe, CTO of Retale, Out of Milk’s parent company. “Our team is always looking for ways to make our users’ busy lives a little bit easier by leveraging emerging technology — in this case, using speech recognition to help streamline every facet of their shopping journey. Anytime, anywhere, any-mode access to shopping lists is a major step forward that we’re really excited to bring to our users.”
Also available as a mobile app on both Android and iOS, Out of Milk allows users to quickly build detailed shopping lists, then manage them effortlessly – adding or deleting items while keeping track of price, quantity, coupons, and more. Users can add products to their Out of Milk shopping lists by typing, scanning barcodes, or through mobile speech recognition. Out of Milk also makes it easy to share lists with family and friends on mobile, desktop, and email; shopping lists are instantly synced as changes are made across devices and platforms, eliminating any confusion during store visits.
The Out of Milk voice assistant skill builds off of the success of the app, streamlining shopping trip preparation and expanding the service’s functionality even further by embracing the benefits of voice technology. By speaking with the Out of Milk voice assistant via their Amazon Echo or Google Assistant enabled devices, users can create and manage shopping lists that sync directly with their Out of Milk app or website. Voice assistant users must have an account created through the Out of Milk mobile or web platform, but once the accounts are linked, any changes are automatically synced across devices.
For example, once launching the Out of Milk voice assistant, users can:
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Add and remove items to a list (e.g. “Add rice to my list.”)
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Include the quantity of an item on a list (e.g. “Add two gallons of milk to my list.”)
-
Add multiple items at once to a list (e.g. “Add bananas, cereal, and butter to my list.”)
-
Check which list their editing (e.g. “Which list am I in?”)
-
Switch between existing lists (e.g. “Switch to my ‘Walmart’ list.”)
-
Read off items on a list (e.g. “What is on my current list?”)
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Read off all lists (e.g. “What lists do I have?”)
From a technical perspective, the Out of Milk voice assistant builds on the native skills currently available on Amazon Echo and Google Home, making them more user-friendly by leveraging:
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Complete platform integration: The Out of Milk app, web and voice platforms sync across devices, so changes made on one platform are reflected on all others.
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Real-time updates: All changes are automatically synchronized across devices so shopping lists stay up-to-date no matter where or when they are updated.
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Advanced quantity and unit functionality: Users can include the quantity or number of units for individual items on their shopping lists.
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Multiple item additions: Users can add multiple items to a shopping list in one utterance.
With easy-to-use features and an intuitive interface, the Out of Milk app is top-ranked in its category, with an impressive 4.6 overall rating in the Google Play Store across 200,000 reviews. Out of Milk was acquired by Retale in February 2017, adding another powerhouse service to Retale’s suite of shopping solutions that span mobile, web, and voice. Retale’s flagship app, Retale, enables more than 26 million active users worldwide to discover and receive great savings through ads and coupons, as well as get up-to-date store information. In June, the company launched Retale GO, providing the app’s localized shopping services through Amazon Echo and Google Assistant. With Out of Milk’s brand-new voice capability, Retale has quickly become the leader in voice-enabled shopping, coupons and deals, and store information.
For more information about Out of Milk, visit: www.outofmilk.com.
Retale is a technology company that develops mobile-first shopping experiences. Its portfolio of products and services includes Retale, the location-based shopping app for discovering savings and coupons nearby, as well as Out of Milk, the largest shopping list app on Android in North America. Reaching 26 million mobile users across 200 countries every month, Retale helps meet shoppers’ needs at every stage of the customer journey. Today, more than 5,200 retailers and brands rely on Retale to directly connect with shoppers. Retale is part of Bonial.com, which operates the leading location-based mobile shopping platform worldwide.
Cliff Maroney, Crenshaw Communications for Retale