The first products to support the system are a range of Brother printers. The compatible smart printers promise to provide “timely delivery” of genuine Brother ink or toner, ordered by the printer from Amazon when it detects its supplies are running low.
Using the Amazon Dash Replenishment API, manufacturers of smart devices and appliances can incorporate simple commands into their products that let them connect to Amazon, log in to the user’s account and place an order for a shipment of their consumables using stored payment details. Brother is currently the only manufacturer to have compatible products on the market but other kinds of device are coming soon.
GE washing machines will start to take responsibility for buying their own washing powder stocks by the end of the month and Gmate blood sugar meters are ready to gain support in the next few weeks. A range of other manufacturers including names like Samsung, Brita, Sutro, Petnet and Clever Pet have already committed to using Dash Replenishment in their future products. Amazon announced two new partners earlier this week, Purell with its touch-free hand sanitisers and Whirlpool’s range of smart washers, dryers and dishwashers.
Amazon Dash Replenishment is the start of the next phase of the Internet of Things in which devices begin to do even more for their user and accept responsibility for completing some tasks. Ordering new printer ink may seem trivial but going to stores to buy resources for every appliance and device in a house takes time that could be better spent elsewhere.
Daniel Rausch, director of Amazon Devices, said: “With Amazon Dash Replenishment, we want to make customers’ lives even easier so they won’t run out of items like laundry detergent, pet food or printer ink again—customers simply activate Dash Replenishment when they are setting up their connected device and then rely on Amazon to automatically deliver those everyday essentials.”
Rausch added that even more devices will be added throughout the year. Owners of compatible Brother printers can now sign up for Amazon Dash Replenishment from Brother’s website in a simple registration process that sets the printer up for automated ordering. Over 45 different models currently support Dash Replenishment and it is likely that owners of recent Brother printers can start using the service today.
With Dash Replenishment now officially launched, more manufacturers are likely to begin supporting it in their devices. Amazon says it can incorporated in as little as 10 lines of code, leaving all the user authentication, payment processing and delivery management to the established online retailer.
