While this one sounds like an April Fools Day prank, it’s apparently for real. Amazon announced on Tuesday that it’s launching Dash Buttons, a followup to last year’s Dash remote scanning device.
CNET:
With the new Dash Buttons, Amazon says customers can skip the scanner or microphone, and instead order any of more than one dozen products with the click of a button.
The new press once to order buttons are all a part of Amazon’s effort to condition its customers to order household cleaning items and groceries through them, instead of making a trip to their local grocery or department store.
“Dash Button is simple to set up. Use the Amazon app on your smartphone to easily connect to your home Wi-Fi network and select the product you want to reorder with Dash Button. Once connected, a single press automatically places your order. Amazon sends an order alert to your phone, so it’s easy to cancel if you change your mind. Unless you elect otherwise, Dash Button responds only to your first press until your order is delivered.”
Each button orders a specific item, like Tide detergent, or Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, and can either be hung, or stuck near where the item is kept. Amazon will offer around 18 buttons in the first phase of the program, offering buttons for baby food, coffee, paper towels, and other household staples.
“Dash Button comes with a reusable adhesive and a hook so you can hang, stick, or place it right where you need it. Keep Dash Button handy in the kitchen, bath, laundry, or anywhere you store your favorite products. When you’re running low, simply press Dash Button, and Amazon quickly delivers household favorites so you can skip the last-minute trip to the store.”
The Dash service will also be made available to product makers. Brother printers, Brita water filters, and Whirlpool washers and dryers will be among the first products to include automated or one-touch ordering into their products.
Amazon notes that a product such as a Brita water filter could notice when it has reached the end of its useful life, and could automatically order another filter, all without any action on the consumer’s part.
Amazon will be giving the Dash buttons to customers for free, and the retailer says the batteries in the devices will last for years. Initially, the buttons will be available via invitation only, with Amazon first offering them to Prime customers. Amazon expects to send a maximum of three Dash buttons to each customer.
For more information about Amazon Dash, and to request an invitation to the program, visit the Amazon.com Dash website.
