When Amazon announced a push-to-order Dash Button earlier this year, everyone thought it was an April Fool's Joke. But now the company has put its first batch of Amazon Dash Buttons up for sale, allowing users to order specific products from Amazon each time they press it.
Running low on laundry detergent? Attach a Tide, Bounty or Cottonelle button to your washing machine and each time you press it, Amazon Prime will order new detergent or fabric softener from that brand.
As of now, more than 18 brands are currently for sale on Amazon.com, including Tide et al., Glad Bags, Gatorade, Smartwater, Larabar, Clorox, Amazon Elements, Wellness Petfood, Izze, Maxwell House, Olay, Gerber Formula, L'Oreal Youth Code and Gilette.
And let's be honest: Getting Kraft Macaroni and Cheese delivered with a press of a button does sound enticing.
*PRESS* pic.twitter.com/D2j07xB8CK— Jason Abbruzzese (@JasonAbbruzzese) July 30, 2015
Buttons cost $4.99 for Amazon Prime users, not including the products you'll eventually order with it. Amazon's website notes certain products, such as Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, are available in "limited release."
While the buttons might strike many as a gimmick, they're unquestionably efficient. Rather than visiting Amazon's website when you want to re-order products, a Dash button bypasses that legwork and is hooked up directly with your existing Amazon Prime account (via your home Wi-Fi network).
Amazon then sends an alert to your phone, so you can cancel the order if you accidentally hit it or decide you don't need 10 boxes of mac and cheese, just because it's fun to press the button. The goal for the company is, of course, to make shopping with Amazon as easy as possible.
However, be warned: if you opt for a Dash Button, remember you'll be stuck with a relatively tacky-looking button attached to all of your things.