Amazon's Dash Buttons make buying stuff from the online retailer easier when you're not in front of a computer. Now the company is taking that idea back to its digital storefront: Amazon has created digital versions of Dash Buttons that have started to appear on its homepage and in its app for Prime members. According to a report from Recode, Amazon will automatically create digital Dash Buttons for items that Prime members recently purchased or buy often from the site, making it easier to repurchase those items at a later date.
The report also states that Amazon can make these digital buttons for "tens of millions" of products, but the one caveat is that they must be available for Prime delivery. Items that cannot be shipped under Prime delivery apparently aren't Dash Button-ready.
Amazon generates the buttons based on your purchases, but you can edit your digital Dash Buttons at any time. You can organize the order in which they appear on your homepage, and you can add new buttons by going to a specific item on Amazon and clicking the "Add to Your Dash Buttons" prompt, which appears near the "Add to List" button on the right-hand side of the page.
An Amazon spokesperson told Recode that the company wanted to build on the success of its physical Dash Buttons, so it developed these virtual ones that are free to use. Physical Dash Buttons still cost $4.99/£4.99 each. The development of the digital buttons is reportedly not connected to the fact that Amazon's patent on 1-Click purchases is set to expire soon. Digital Dash Buttons provide a very similar experience to 1-Click purchasing, the difference being that they give customers more control over which products they deem important enough to have on their homepage. With their ease of use, these buttons could make it even more tempting for Prime shoppers to buy essentials like batteries or pet food from Amazon on a regular basis.
reader comments
61