Amazon Dash Button

[jesmu84]

Thoughts? Usefulness?

https://www.youtube.com/v/NMacTuHPWFI

[chapman]

As someone who gets everything Amazon (except the failed Fire Phone), suppose I'll see what the button offerings are and maybe get some, since they're free.  But it seems pretty stupid.  Usually takes me all of a minute to jump on the computer and order these things on Amazon.  And usually get the "oh crap" moment when I'm out and can't wait two days to have it delivered. 

Though I did have a similar reaction to the Echo when it was first announced - seemed pretty dumb.  I ended up ordering it anyway and I really like the thing.  Great when cooking or doing housework when it isn't practical to be playing around on a tablet or laptop to play music - just tell it what to play, if it's not already in my library it's free on Prime Music half the time.  Might be the reason why I won't use the Dash buttons - if I'm out of something I tell the Echo to add it to my shopping list, and pull it up on my phone at the stor

[🏀]

I see it useful for diapers and toilet paper. Otherwise the phone takes a couple seconds and is easily available.

[Skatastrophy]

April fools.

[Chicos' Buzz Scandal Countdown]

Thoughts? Usefulness?

https://www.youtube.com/v/NMacTuHPWFI

what do you think? You're the one who posted it?

[Benny B]

I've had Prime for over six years now and jumped all over S&S when it launched.  My kids look forward to the 7th of the month because the Amazon delivery means another big box for them to play inside (for a few days). However, the items we don't buy from Amazon are what we buy at Costco, which seems to be the bulk of the "button" products... so it's useless to us.

[ChicosBailBonds]

April fools.

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/s/t-promising-amazon-confirm-amazon-dash-isn-t-001531839.html

[Skatastrophy]

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/s/t-promising-amazon-confirm-amazon-dash-isn-t-001531839.html

Oh good lord. Their marketing team is a bunch of jokers.

[mu03eng]

It's stupid.....so many easier ways they could have done something like this with a phone app and avoided the cost of the button.  Strikes me as a good idea that is poorly executed and will be replaced in 18 months with a much better executed concept/capability.

[reinko]

It's stupid.....so many easier ways they could have done something like this with a phone app and avoided the cost of the button.  Strikes me as a good idea that is poorly executed and will be replaced in 18 months with a much better executed concept/capability.

I am no wizard when it comes to computers and marketing, but doesn't it take someone (in this case Amazon), to push the envelope a bit, put something out there that isn't perfect, thus jump starting innovation.  True someone else, and/or most likely them will learn, make it better, and in 12 or 18 months something much better will be around, but kinda shortsighted to call them stupid for giving something a go.

[mu03eng]

I am no wizard when it comes to computers and marketing, but doesn't it take someone (in this case Amazon), to push the envelope a bit, put something out there that isn't perfect, thus jump starting innovation.  True someone else, and/or most likely them will learn, make it better, and in 12 or 18 months something much better will be around, but kinda shortsighted to call them stupid for giving something a go.

It's stupid because you could do something now that's better without having to go this route.  I'm just saying with all of Amazon's resources and intellectual capital that it is pretty lame they came up with this.  I've been working on an app in this space(self taught app development and just me myself and I) and if I had Amazon's resources I'd have been done 6 months ago and it would do a better job at a much reduced cost.  That's just something I thought of, lots of much smarter people out there that could do better than me....that's why it's dumb.

[reinko]

It's stupid because you could do something now that's better without having to go this route.  I'm just saying with all of Amazon's resources and intellectual capital that it is pretty lame they came up with this.  I've been working on an app in this space(self taught app development and just me myself and I) and if I had Amazon's resources I'd have been done 6 months ago and it would do a better job at a much reduced cost.  That's just something I thought of, lots of much smarter people out there that could do better than me....that's why it's dumb.

Gotcha! Thanks for the additional thoughts. 

It does seem though this is Amazon's M.O of sorts, putting out a bunch of things, see what sticks, and kill off things that don't.  Again, no expert here, but they have big wins obviously with the Kindle, Amazon Prime, Subscribe and Save, I think the Amazon FireTV is actually pretty good product...then you have misses like the Fire Phone, Amazon Brick and mortar stores, Amazon auctions...

[chapman]

It's stupid.....so many easier ways they could have done something like this with a phone app and avoided the cost of the button.  Strikes me as a good idea that is poorly executed and will be replaced in 18 months with a much better executed concept/capability.

And the thing is they already have it.  The Echo functions from the cloud, so it's perfectly capable of placing orders for you if/when they get that functionality working.  Tell it to order TP, and it should be able to ask if you want to purchase a certain kind.  You can already purchase music by voice instruction.  Even now, it has a "shopping list", so telling it to add things puts them in a phone app - they just haven't integrated it with their own store to make purchasing your shopping list nice and simple.

I get it's giving away free buttons vs. a $100 speaker, but how soon until the same voice recognition processes from the Fire tablets, Fire TV (which has great voice recognition for search and would just need a shopping interface), etc.

It does seem though this is Amazon's M.O of sorts, putting out a bunch of things, see what sticks, and kill off things that don't.  Again, no expert here, but they have big wins obviously with the Kindle, Amazon Prime, Subscribe and Save, I think the Amazon FireTV is actually pretty good product...then you have misses like the Fire Phone, Amazon Brick and mortar stores, Amazon auctions...

Fire TV is awesome.  Between Prime and Netflix I watch more TV now than when I had cable.  By no means a game console, but starting so put some decent games on it too.  The new update that lets you plug in USB storage will help since 8 GB wasn't even enough for two quality games without trying to delete apps you regularly use.  The new update also allows for browser-based authentication required for wifi at hotels, etc. which is nice for those without a 4G card.

Also like the Fire tablets for media - great presentation, functions really well for toggling between media stored Amazon cloud or on the device.  Just needs to get the productivity side improved; the Amazon Android app selection stinks compared to Google Play.


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[Jay Bee]

If I ran some small business with an office needing a number of these supplies to be ordered often and my people were dipsh1ts when it comes to back office supplies, etc., then I might use this. "OK Betty.. duhhhh, just press the button!"

[mu03eng]

If I ran some small business with an office needing a number of these supplies to be ordered often and my people were dipsh1ts when it comes to back office supplies, etc., then I might use this. "OK Betty.. duhhhh, just press the button!"

Not to mention when Betty pushes the button too many times and you get a million crates of TP

[Benny B]

Not to mention when Betty pushes the button too many times and you get a million crates of TP

"You see, Mr. Bee... I pressed the button, and nothing happened, so I pressed it again.  Still nothing.  A few more times, and still nothing.  So I forgot about it; the next day, UPS pulls up in a semi-trailer, and well, here we are..."

[Jay Bee]

"You see, Mr. Bee... I pressed the button, and nothing happened, so I pressed it again.  Still nothing.  A few more times, and still nothing.  So I forgot about it; the next day, UPS pulls up in a semi-trailer, and well, here we are..."

This scenario could start quite the sh!tstorm.

I'd imagine the user(s) can set parameters in order to avoid such situations... but who knows.

Amazon hurt my feelings when they began collecting sales tax (for items sold by Amazon) in Minnesota six long months ago.

[ttheisen]

I have supported Amazon as my customer in a variety of roles over the past 8 years.  Amazon (Jeff Bezos specifically) is obsessed with the Japanese concept of reducing waste (muda).  In every transaction they imagine wasteless transactions.  Concepts such as droid deliveries and the dash button may not seem necessary, though in the concept of reducing waste, are directly in line with Amazon conceptual theory.

Example:
I need laundry detergent (starting point) --> I have laundry detergent (ending point).  Everything that is involved with my acquisition of the detergent is waste.  The perfect transaction would be my thoughts (or my needs) leading directly to detergent being in my laundry room.

As it stands today, I need laundry detergent, I log into Amazon, click a few times, confirm order.  Fulfillment Center sends detergent, UPS delivers, I drag it in from my front step.  The dash button reduces the waste in the front end of this transaction.

[chapman]

This scenario could start quite the sh!tstorm.

I'd imagine the user(s) can set parameters in order to avoid such situations... but who knows.

Yep, they actually thought of it. 

Unless you elect otherwise, Dash Button responds only to your first press until your order is delivered.

[Coleman]

I have supported Amazon as my customer in a variety of roles over the past 8 years.  Amazon (Jeff Bezos specifically) is obsessed with the Japanese concept of reducing waste (muda).  In every transaction they imagine wasteless transactions.  Concepts such as droid deliveries and the dash button may not seem necessary, though in the concept of reducing waste, are directly in line with Amazon conceptual theory.

Example:
I need laundry detergent (starting point) --> I have laundry detergent (ending point).  Everything that is involved with my acquisition of the detergent is waste.  The perfect transaction would be my thoughts (or my needs) leading directly to detergent being in my laundry room.

As it stands today, I need laundry detergent, I log into Amazon, click a few times, confirm order.  Fulfillment Center sends detergent, UPS delivers, I drag it in from my front step.  The dash button reduces the waste in the front end of this transaction.

Except there are already viable solutions for this that exist within Amazon's ecosystem, like subscribing to items to be delivered once a month, or at whatever interval you choose. That's actually fewer steps than pushing a button.

That said, I'll probably still get the buttons because they are free. So why not.