fool.com – Hidden inside the recent announcement of Amazon.com’s (NASDAQ: AMZN ) new Dash button — which lets your order specific products with a single plastic button — was a much more important move for Amazon, and one that has the possibility to truly change how we order consumable goods from Amazon.
It’s called the Dash Replenishment Service (or DRS), and its ability to automatically reorder home goods straight from the devices that use them could be a transformational step in the burgeoning Internet of Things.
All-knowing devices When we think about our home appliances, they typically serve one purpose. They either toast our bread, keep our food cold, wash our clothes, or make our coffee. They’re usually good at what they do, but are incapable of doing more than their basic function.
But the Internet of Things (or IoT) is changing that. It’s adding intelligence and connectivity to these formerly unperceiving appliances, allowing them to understand what they need, when they need it, and how to get it.
And that’s where Amazon’s DRS comes in. Amazon has teamed up with appliance manufacturers to create an automated system that allows some appliances to reorder the goods they need — all by themselves — through Amazon’s website.
Let that sink in for a moment. For anyone who hates making grocery lists, despises trips to the store, or just wants to spend more time not having to do those things (I can’t be the only one), this could be a new way to shop. Or, actually, a new way not to shop.
The best example of it right now is Whirlpool’s new smart washing machine set to debut later this year, which will come preloaded with Amazon’s Dash Replenishment Service. The washing machine will not only measure when it’s running low on detergent but will also order it for you through your Amazon account when it starts running low. Two days later, assuming you have an Amazon Prime Membership, there’s detergent on your front doorstep.
Pete Deutschman 