Amazon has discontinued its Dash buttons

[midian182]

What just happened? Amazon’s Dash buttons, the stick-on gadgets that allow users to order single items with a click, are being discontinued. While millions of them have shipped over the years, advancements in technology have rendered the devices obsolete.

First launched in 2015, Dash buttons were designed as a way for people to quickly order items that constantly need replenishing. Individual buttons were available for everything from paper towels, to toilet rolls, to dog food. Each one cost $5, but buyers had this money reimbursed after making their first order.

In the four years since their launch, new technologies have taken the place of the Dash buttons. The Dash Replenishment Service, for example, is now integrated into hundreds of connected devices, including whirlpool washing machines, and automatically reorders items such as detergent when it detects they are running low.

“Since the introduction of the Dash program, we’ve continued to work on making the shopping experience convenient and easy, and in some cases, even disappear for customers,” Amazon said, in a statement. “With Dash Replenishment, we’ve launched hundreds of devices globally that automatically reorder essentials so customers don’t have to think at all about restocking.”

Other Amazon products have made the physical Dash buttons less relevant. The company’s own Alexa voice assistant and line of Echo speakers allow customers to quickly and easily reorder goods, and there’s also the Echo Wand, which lets users scan the barcodes of items they want adding to their shopping list. There are even virtual Dash buttons on the Amazon website.

For those who regularly make orders via a Dash button, Amazon says it will continue to support their function “so long as the public keeps using them,” writes CNET.

Last month, a German court ruled that the Dash buttons violated the country’s consumer protection rules. Amazon never said if the decision to discontinue the buttons was related to this judgment.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/78983-amazon-has-discontinued-dash-buttons.html

 

[captaincranky]

What can be said? Wait, it's coming to me, "Hallelujah".....

A quick plug for the "MoonSun Band". This young lady does some of the most elegant covers on YouTube.

 

[ForgottenLegion]

The fact that you can't see the price at time of order is an issue for me.
That's why I never use Alexa to order anything. I need to be able to compare prices prior to placing an order with someone.

 

[Uncle Al]

Just too many "negatives" over these things .... I guess they gambled on the general public not giving a damn ...... SURPRISE!

 

[wiyosaya]

IMO, the Dash buttons were for the unabashedly lazy, but WTF, that, IMO, applies also at least to IoT devices these days.

crApazon's business model is "One-click shopping". Just give them your credit card, get on their site and click away, they will be happy to charge your card. Why bother with thinking about price? If you have a credit card, you can afford anything that you can order with one click. /sarcasm

As I see it, this was a perfect extension for that business model - except it sounds like something stood in their way - maybe that you had to pay for the button? Who knows.

Good bye to really bad and useless rubbish!

 

[Thrackerzod]

I always thought those were really stupid. Who orders one thing at a time, and why do you need a dedicated button to do it? Seems wasteful also, having things constantly shipped to your house instead of buying all the stuff you need in one go.

 

[captaincranky]

I always thought those were really stupid. Who orders one thing at a time, and why do you need a dedicated button to do it? Seems wasteful also, having things constantly shipped to your house instead of buying all the stuff you need in one go.

In fairness, (not that I think Amazon deserves that courtesy), those dash buttons were largely aimed at "Prime" members, whom I believe always get free 2 day shipping, no minimum.

But then again, have you priced "Tide Pods" recently? I think enough to feed a family of four, would run more than $25.00, Amazon's current free shipping threshold for non Prime members