In a rush? Running out of basic supplies such as detergent or toothpaste? Amazon has a solution for reordering these and hundreds of other products. Just push a button and the order is placed and shipped automatically. No muss, no fuss.
Amazon Dash Buttons are now available for more than 250 different products, including customer favorites such as Tide, Bounty, Clorox, Gatorade, Gillette, and more. Buttons are a small Wi-Fi connected device. To use it, customers download the app, sign into their Prime account, connect Button to Wi-F,i and select the product to reorder. Amazon sends an order confirmation to the customer’s phone, making it easy to track or cancel the order. The buttons initially cost $4.99 and are available only for Amazon Prime members. For every Button purchased, Amazon gives the buyer $4.99 in credit.
Amazon isn’t the only vendor using ecommerce to tie consumers directly to services. Brita is working on a pitcher that will reorder water filters after a certain amount of water has been filtered. Whirlpool is working on a dryer that automatically reorders detergent. And, Brother is developing a printer that will automatically reorder ink when the supply is low.
Who needs a shopping list when items are smart enough to order their own replenishment?
Group Activities and Discussion Questions:
- View Amazon’s Web site and video to review the service:
http://www.amazon.com/b/?node=10667898011&lo=digital-text
- While the buying process may vary slightly for different products and target markets, the basic 5-step process remains the same: problem recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision, and post-purchase behavior.
- How does the Button fit into the buying process?
- Will it work for products that required extended decision making?
- Divide students into teams. Have each team identify other products that could benefit from this approach.
Source: Brandchannel.com
