Retail Innovation Shout Out: Amazon to Simplify Your Life Yet Again

As a consultant, the majority of my time is spent on the go. I am constantly searching for and adopting new innovations that simplify my life and allow me to maximize the time I do have at home. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to start a load of laundry after a long week, only to realize that you used the last few drops of detergent the weekend before and forgot to replace it. Americans lead busy lives, full of tasks and commitments; thanks to Amazon’s new Dash Button, menial tasks like picking up detergent at the store can be crossed off our to-do lists forever.

With the new Dash Button, consumers choose from a list of their favorite brands and pack sizes for consumable items they use every day, like diapers, pet food, cleaning supplies, snacks and toilet paper, and then place a small, Wi-Fi enabled device near where they use these items, like in the pantry or laundry room. When the supply is running low, a quick push of the button places the order, which will arrive at your door within two days. Forget that sinking feeling of realizing a trip to the store is imminent. Simply push the Dash Button and move on with your day.

Now some might perceive having a household full of buttons for shopping as “silly” or even border-line “lazy”, but for those that would prefer to spend their time dedicated to higher priority items, the Dash Button is the perfect solution.

Amazon is already working with electronic makers to integrate this technology into devices that will eventually order their own supplies for consumption. Imagine a future where a printer will order its own ink, or a coffee maker that will order its own coffee and filters. Cue the Jetsons theme song, because the days of running to the store for household items might soon be a thing of the past.