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Amazon Dash Button

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Re: Amazon Dash Button

#331

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's ridiculous just because it clearly involved a lot of effort to solve a problem that doesn't really need solving. The choice isn't between a button and the massive hassle you describe. The choice is between a button and ordering the product on your smartphone in ten seconds, or picking up the product at the grocery store the next time you're there. How often do you need laundry detergent? Every two weeks?…

It's not the online ordering that I need to save time on, it's having to make a trip NOW because I forgot to order more ahead of time. That extra trip to Target takes a whole heck of a lot longer than 10 seconds, and when I consider how many extra Target runs I make every year it adds up fast.

There is also the financial danger of, here I am at Target, may as well get my money's worth for the car gasoline and buy a whole cart full of stuff (from target not amazon). And every dollar I spend at target is a dollar I won't spend at amazon. All because I ran out of laundry detergent.

Every bottle of Tide I buy at target also means amazon just lost out on a toilet paper sale and a paper towel sale and maybe some food if its a supertarget and all that other stuff target sells. Its not amazon selling a $20 bottle of tide but preventing the target sale of a $120 shopping cart full of junk.

Re: Amazon Dash Button

#332
I like going out shopping the essentials, i like to pick up my own coffee and maybe check what else is on the shelve...this product looks a bit depressing "just stay home and order from amazon"

Re: Amazon Dash Button

#333
post #312

Earlier quoted context omitted.

| but I can't help but scream "why??" Because it's a tangible reminder that you need to buy new X and it removes all the barriers entirely to that. It's wildly convenient. Might I remind you: - Locate mobile device - Swipe/Unlock mobile device - Locate Safari App/Amazon app - Tap and wait for Safari to load - Access amazon.com - Type in 'X' - Locate results and click on option - Press 'one click purchase' for irony v…

Do you really think that ordering something online from the comfort of your couch, in your underwear, is so inconvenient that you need a magic button to press when you run out of laundry detergent? You buy the big jug of high-efficiency stuff that's good for something like 100 loads, that means you need new detergent what, 5 times a year? Or are you just being hyperbolic? I don't know about you, but I make a trip to…

I'm at the grocery store approximately zero times a year. For me a "summon cat litter" button would be a marked improvement in my life.

Re: Amazon Dash Button

#334
post #15

It's not just a physical button — it's an API. If you develop a hardware product you can apparently integrate with Dash to order supplies from the embedded controller. Information is here: https://www.amazon.com/oc/dash-replenishment-service Apparently, Whirlpool washing machines and Brita water filters will be using it. This doesn't help for basics like paper towels, but it would work for paper towel holders (if it'…

In that case, I'd rather just have a tiny iBeacon/NFC device that launches my phone app then let's me tap on a software button.

How is that any easier than just pushing one hardware button?

Re: Amazon Dash Button

#335

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> How often do you need laundry detergent? Every two weeks? If this button saves you ten seconds each time, that's a total of 4.3 minutes per year saved It takes more than 10 seconds to go to the store and get detergent. I suppose it'll save the 30 seconds it takes to order detergent on a phone, but the big gain is that it's RIGHT THERE so you can't forget to order it and then find yourself dead in the water and have…

You don't go to the store to buy detergent. You go to the store to buy a whole bundle of items, and you go regardless of whether or not you need detergent. 10 seconds is IMO a decent approximation of the marginal cost of time for adding detergent to the stuff you buy. As for the big gain being that it's right there, I figured everybody's phones are right there too. Apparently not everybody does that. Seems like if yo…

At my apartment, I have to walk a bit of distance from my car to get inside... When I get deliveriesp, they come right to my door.

Re: Amazon Dash Button

#336
post #39

It's a intermediate step towards absolute frictionless purchasing. We went from physical in-store cash payments to online 1-click delivery. The purchasing experience has continuously been quickened, to close the gap between the intent and the action. Nowadays, running out of coffee capsules (for example) still requires some interaction, via your phone or your laptop. There's at least a dozen of seconds between the in…

If you click through the innovators link, they have a form of this tech that you can build into the device so that it can order automatically for you.

Re: Amazon Dash Button

#337

A lot of negativity posted on this by a lot of people, including myself, just to be negative. But here's why I (and I bet many others) really dislike this: it tightly couples purchasing everyday things to Amazon. What would be better? I would have rather seen a third party come out with these little buttons, with an open API such that they could be connected to things like: - Todo/grocery list apps that adds the item…

What would be better? I would have rather seen a third party come out with these little buttons, with an open API such that they could be connected to things like: - Todo/grocery list apps that adds the item as a reminder the next time I run to the store

This is exactly what I was thinking. I think the core idea is actually pretty good- a seamless way to remember to get stuff you need at the time you realize you need it. One of the major pain points for shoppers is keeping track of all the crap you need at the time you are at the store. If you could continuously add to the list and then the grocery stores had some kind of integration with their loyalty program so it knew when you had purchased what was on your list and automatically removed it, that would be a huge time-saver. Even if it just synced to a todo list, that would be really nice.

However, there are two things that I think would prevent this from becoming a game-changer for Amazon. First, most shoppers are extraordinarily price-sensitive when it comes to household goods. Wal-Mart is a $270 billion company precisely because of this. Most people like to comparison shop based largely on price. If the concept of price is completely hidden from view until after the purchase is made, you are trading transparency for ease-of-use. There is certainly a market for this, but not the largest share of it.

Second, as long as there are other things that shoppers have to get at the grocery (namely, groceries), I believe that most will opt to wait until they go next time since they have to go anyway. This product doesn't solve the problem of instant-gratification and having the product at the time you need it, it just makes it a little easier to order it when you need it.

Re: Amazon Dash Button

#339

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hey Siri, order more tide.

Hey Google (through my Nest), am I low on anything? If so, go ahead and order it through (whomever is cheapest|whomever can get it here today).

Why would I even have to say this? Shouldn't it already just do it every day?

This was my pet peeve with Star Trek... Always having to tell the computer to do basic shit it should just do automatically .

Re: Amazon Dash Button

#340
To be clear, this is not for 20-somethings. This is for parents that have screaming babies or have many competing events for their attention. For all you non-parents, there is a distinct possibility that things get forgotten between the time you realize something this out, and the time it takes to pull out your smartphone, navigate to Amazon or Google Express, and order whatever you need.
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