Services like FreshDirect and ShopRite's Peapod deter people from having to ever go to the grocery store to pick up common household items. With the two popular websites, all you need to do is turn on your computer, make a few clicks, and submit the order.
E-commerce giant Amazon is taking that one step further.
On Tuesday, the company announced the expansion of Amazon Dash buttons, via YouTube video. The service, which is available now for Amazon Prime members, involves handheld buttons that you press to order items you commonly purchase on Amazon. According to The Washington Post, the Dash buttons all have built in Wi-Fi.
As seen in the video, the buttons are meant to be placed near where you store and use an item, such as a Maxwell House K-Cup. Once you see you are running low on the item, press the Dash button and you will automatically be charged for a new shipment. The order will then be on its way and arrive quickly, thanks to the shipping perks Amazon Prime members have. If the button is hit on accident, you can cancel it easily as an alert is sent to your phone whenever a Dash is pressed.
Tide, Kraft, Gerber and Gillette products were also featured in the video. According to The Washington Post, only a handful of brands currently have Dash buttons.
To avoid ordering duplicates of an item in the case someone else in your home pressed a Dash button a few hours before you did, it is only possible to buy one of a particular item at a time. Once you hit a Dash button, you won't be allowed to successfully use it again until the prior shipment arrives at your door.
The release comes a year after Dash was offered alongside AmazonFresh, which is strictly used for grocery items. Those Dash buttons work alongside a bluetooth recorder and scanner that allows people to say or scan items to a list for a shipment.
With Tuesday's announcement, Amazon is expanding the Dash button service to other items not on your everyday grocery list.
