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Amazon Stops Selling Press-to-Order Dash Buttons (cnet.com)

Posted by msmash on from the end-of-road dept.

Amazon's physical Dash buttons are no more. The e-commerce giant has stopped selling its tap-to-order Dash buttons as of February 28th. From a report: If you still proudly use a Dash button (or a few dozen), don't worry: Amazon plans to continue supporting new orders through existing Dash buttons so long as the public keeps using them. So what killed the Dash button's future? Well, by Amazon's telling, the device was a victim of its own success, since it helped nudge forward the concept of the connected home to what it is today. Daniel Rausch, an Amazon vice president who helped grow the Dash program from its start, said that back in early 2015, when the Dash button first came out, there were far fewer options for connected home gadgets. Amazon workers were trying to figure out a way "to make shopping disappear" for grocery list items like paper towels and printer ink and whatever else is pretty not-fun to go out and buy, Rausch said.

17 of 64 comments (clear)

  1. Not-fun-to-buy? by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 2

    WTF

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  2. What a stupid idea that was by ReneR · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Who freaking brought / used this sh1t anyway? The only useful thing I could think about is a dash button for toilet paper, but otherwise, coffee beans?

    1. Re:What a stupid idea that was by aicrules · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Why is toilet paper a meaningful use case for you and not anything else you buy regularly? It is equivalent to writing something on your shopping list, but instead of having to remember to do that and then wait till you're actually at the store, you just push a button and it ends up on your doorstep a couple days later. Toilet paper, laundry detergent, toothpaste, trash bags, dish soap, just go through your place of residence and think about all the things you buy repeatedly and it could be used for that. Doesn't mean it was a great method, but if you see it useful for one item, you probably would have found use for it on many items.

  3. Re:install an always listening microphone instead by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 2

    I think the "subscription" model is the replacement. For some things, it makes sense. For others, I expect they will want people to use Alexa.

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    #DeleteFacebook
  4. Never understood those by cascadingstylesheet · · Score: 4, Insightful

    At least with a subscription, you get a chance to review prices and see if you want to go through with it.

    Seriously, press a button and get it sent to you at some random current price?

    1. Re:Never understood those by pz · · Score: 2

      At least with a subscription, you get a chance to review prices and see if you want to go through with it.

      Seriously, press a button and get it sent to you at some random current price?

      Not just that, but suppose I see we're low on toilet paper. I push the button. Later in the day, my wife also sees we're low. Push the button. Then the next morning, my oldest child sees we're low. Push the button. Then my youngest child, watching everyone push the button wants to do the same. So now we have four orders for the same thing before the first delivery arrives?

      I've not acquired a Dash button, so I have to think that the engineers at Amazon figured out how to prevent this scenario that would clearly lead to elimination (or destruction) of the button and substantial dissatisfaction from multiple customers.

      --

      Put my fist through my alarm clock with its ding-dong death inside my ear. - The Blackjacks.
    2. Re:Never understood those by Jason+Levine · · Score: 2

      Or have a kid walk up and press the button multiple times.

      I know they said they had protections to prevent a child from ordering 100 cases of toilet paper, but how robust were they? Would they allow an order of toilet paper to be sent every week just because the child pushed the button?

      At least, I can prevent my kids from accessing Amazon on my smartphone/tablet/computer and can order whatever I need there.

      --
      My sci-fi novel, Ghost Thief, is now available from Amazon.com.
  5. Dash, meet Alexa by SuperKendall · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The real problem here is simply that a Dash button gives you one less reason to consider an Alexa device.

    So, goodby Dash.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  6. Re:very limited selection by MightyYar · · Score: 2

    flavor of laundry detergent

    Please don't eat the Tide pods.

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    W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
  7. The Dash button needed an e-Ink display... by ctilsie242 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The Dash button desperately needed an E-ink display. That way, it would be easy to tell what product the button is used for, and Amazon wouldn't be stuck with Dash buttons which people were not buying. Plus, it would give the advantage of being able to be used with products people did want to buy.

  8. This wuz all planned! by the_skywise · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Riight - it has nothing to do with them being ruled illegal in Germany (and then inevitably by the EU...)
    https://yro.slashdot.org/story...

  9. Wait... by Waffle+Iron · · Score: 3, Funny

    My Dash button is set up to order more Dash buttons.

    Now I'm going to be stuck with a useless brick.

    1. Re:Wait... by jwhyche · · Score: 2

      Well obviously the public stopped using them. All you can order is cheese, laundry detergent, trash bags, and the like. Someone in marketing needs to be fired because they missed the market for this. The need dash buttons for beer, pizza, weed, Cheetos, hookers and blow. Network them, push three buttons and hooker shows up with a pizza, and a bag of weed. That is where the market is. The might need to make the buttons bigger for the beer and weed ones.

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      I read at +2. If your post doesn't reach that level I will not see or respond to it.
  10. Single Item Per Button by Only+Time+Will+Tell · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I liked the idea of simply being able to reorder as needed, but the fact they were like $10/button and only served 1 product always put me off. Before they came out I thought of a similar product, like barcode reader, that could sit in closets or pantries where you could scan the barcode from the item you were out of and it would add it to your shopping list. These buttons removed the list idea and conveniently ordered it right away, but were locked into the brand, size of packaging (24 count vs 36 count), and variety (e.g. no other scents or colors) for the button you bought. If it had a reader and screen, you could scan the item, pick amongst what Amazon is currently offering, and then buy it. That way if you wanted a smaller size, or were brand-agnostic and wanted a cheaper price, it would allow it.

    1. Re:Single Item Per Button by Local+ID10T · · Score: 2

      That functionality is built into the "Amazon Shopping" app for your cell phone.

      --
      "You want to know how to help your kids? Leave them the fuck alone." -George Carlin
  11. Good idea, lazy implementation by h4ck7h3p14n37 · · Score: 2

    The Dash buttons were a good idea, leave them near the items you want to replenish and just hit the button when you notice you're running low.

    Unfortunately the button places an order immediately and doesn't handle multiple presses gracefully. There was no way to configure the thing with a maximum quantity to order, no way to hold orders for manual review and no way to specify what day you wanted your items to be delivered. The lack of features greatly limited the usefulness of the device.

  12. Re:install an always listening microphone instead by reboot246 · · Score: 2

    The subscription model has a fatal flaw, but Amazon likes it. If you subscribe to buy a product on a regular basis, the price can go way high between one purchase and the next. I've read too many horror stories about people getting a nasty surprise when the cost of their toilet paper or laundry detergent nearly doubled.