Run out of washing powder? Just push a button!
SHOPPERS will be able to instantly reorder household essentials simply by pushing a button in their home.
Items including laundry detergent, printer ink and loo roll will be available through the Dash buttons, which are being launched today by Amazon.
The electronic gadgets – which are each linked to a specific product – can be placed anywhere in the home and work by sending the order through the household wi-fi.
It means a button to reorder coffee machine pods can be placed next to the mugs, one for ink on the computer table and one for toilet paper in the bathroom.
Pet food can also be topped up, as can razors and deodorant. There is even a Dash button to order condoms – which might sit on the bed- side table. The products are sent through Amazon’s next-day delivery service, with the buttons available to those who have signed up to Amazon Prime for £79 a year.
Members can get buttons for more than 50 popular items, including brands such as Ariel, Gillette and Nescafe. Each button costs £4.99, however this is refunded in the form of a discount on the first order.
Director of Amazon Dash, Daniel Rausch, said: ‘We’ve all experienced the frustration of running out of something we need.
‘Dash buttons offer the convenience of oneclick shopping from anywhere in the home. They can be placed near those items you don’t want to run out of, and when you see supplies running low, the Dash button makes it easier than ever to order more. Just press it and your item is on its way.’
Dash is Amazon’s latest innovation as it moves to take on traditional supermarkets.
The technology is also being incorporated into appliances from brands such as Bosch, Samsung and Whirlpool, allowing devices to automatically reorder products when supplies are running low.
Manufacturers are already creating machines that can be controlled remotely via smartphone, so incorporating technology to reorder products is the next step.
It comes as consumers continue to move away from doing a weekly ‘big shop’, instead picking things up on the go as they remember.