As technology continues to advance, we’re looking for more ways to make our lives easier. Amazon’s new Dash feature is convenience to the next level by giving consumers the option of restocking their household products with the click of a button.
Amazon Dash is a physical button that can be placed near desired products using reusable adhesive and a hook. Whenever a shopper is running low on a product, they can press that button and automatically have an order shipped to them. The button is connected to the home’s Wi-Fi and the Amazon app. Each time the button is pressed, an order alert is sent to the consumer’s phone, so it is easy to cancel the order if you change your mind or if the button was hit by accident.
At present, this Dash button can only be used for participating products, such as Bounty, Clorox, Huggies and Cottonelle to name a few. Amazon has also developed Dash Replenishment Service (DRS), which offers developers and manufacturers of device-related consumables the ability to have this same type of service integrated with their products. DRS gives companies the option to either build a physical button into their hardware to reorder products or by measuring consumable usage so that the reordering happens automatically.
For example, Brita is using DRS to measure how much water passes through its filters and then automatically orders a new one at the right time. Amazon says that they want to work with device makers of all sizes to incorporate DRS into their products, “from large corporations to hobbyists.”
For the busy mom who realizes while changing her baby’s diaper that they’re about to run out of Huggies, or someone who just used the last roll of Cottonelle toilet paper, the Dash button can really be beneficial.
The problem with Amazon Dash is that it has the potential eliminate smaller brands from the competition.
Without being able to see different brands and compare them when shopping online or in the store, new brands don’t really stand a chance. It also assumes that people don’t want to try something new, or will force shoppers to do extra work in order to discover new products that could potentially be better than the products offered by Dash.
Is there such thing as something being too convenient? Time worries that technology like Amazon Dash will make us stupid. Many authorities in the world of technology do not believe that Amazon Dash will be a success because they believe consumers will want to try new things and comparison shop.
What do you think about the new Amazon Dash button? Let us know in the comments below!
