Remember writing grocery lists and sticking them to your fridge? Amazon thinks you should now leave the task of restocking food and household supplies to a button.
The company announced a new device on Tuesday called the Dash Button, which connects to your smartphone using a Wi-Fi network. With one touch, the button will automatically reorder a product. There are buttons for a variety of products that Amazon sells, from Bounty paper towels to Glad trash bags to Larabar energy bars. The device is only available to Prime members.
Amazon’s video on the Dash Button (see above) shows that each button is emblazoned with the brand’s logo. (How’s that for brand loyalty?) The buttons are hangable and stickable, and it seems like the idea is to place the device in an area where you normally stock the product, like a cabinet. Then, you can press the button when you’re running low on a product.
Amazon spokeswoman Kinley Pearsall explained how the device works to The Wall Street Journal: “You see the Tide button, you know it’s for Tide and the same amount you buy every time shows up on your doorstep two days later.”
For those worried about ordering too many products from accidentally tapping the device, Amazon states on their website that the Button “only responds to your first press until your order is delivered.”
While some people were wondering on Twitter if the device was an early April Fool’s Joke, it appears that the product is very real and yet another step toward building a freaky, Internet-connected home. Currently, the device is only available through invitation. Prime members who are selected will be able to pick product buttons within weeks, according to Amazon.
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