Amazon has new hardware called the Dash Button that allows one-press ordering of products you’re likely to want to replace on a regular basis. The Dash Button comes in a number of different branded versions based on what it’s coded to order, and includes an adhesive backing and hook holster to let you stick it where it’s most convenient.
The Dash Button is a natural extension of Amazon’s one-click ordering feature on the web, but turned into a hardware gadget that makes ordering laundry detergent, for instance, as easy as actually starting the wash cycle. Amazon clearly hopes that if you have a physical one-button device near the place where you actually consume these consumables, you’re more likely to have the presence of mind to order them via its service before you run out, when a trip to the corner store might prove more convenient even than home delivery.
You setup Amazon’s Dash Button using the Amazon mobile app, and then connecting to your Wi-Fi network to assign the product you want the Dash Button to order with a single press (limited by brands pictured on the hardware at launch, apparently). Once it’s configured, the button will automatically trigger an order to your default address using your default Amazon payment order, and you can cancel it via your phone should you have second thoughts. Amazon won’t trigger another order made via subsequent button presses until the first one is delivered, the company notes, unless you override that manually.
At launch, the eligible products for the Dash Button include things like toilet paper, cleaning products, juice, personal grooming products, dog food and much more.
The Dash Button is tied to Amazon’s Dash Replenishment service, which will offer direct integration for the same kind of service into devices themselves. Imagine, for instance, a coffee maker that has a button to automatically re-order coffee beans or filters, or a washing machine with a built-in button to order detergent. Amazon has already partnered with a number of companies to make this happen, and will ship the first-such devices this fall. Some products will even auto-detect when they need replacement supplies and order instantly if a consumer enables that feature.
For now, the Dash Button is the easiest way for consumers to get on board, but you’ll have to be a Prime Member and request an invite to get on board. The hardware itself is free, however, as Amazon clearly wants to make the purchasing process as easy as possible in the interest of selling more consumables down the road.