Amazon is courting household goods shoppers with a new service designed to replenish goods like washing powder and razors. Customers can use the Dash Button to process a delivery request. The button can be attached to appliances around the home including washing machines. The service is only currently being made available to Prime subscribers.
The service has been branded Prime Now and offers one-hour delivery on certain items. It is currently available in four US cities, with deliveries by drone having been trialed. The news was seen by some as the company’s attempt at an April Fool’s joke, but the online retail giant has confirmed that the service is genuine.
The company also launched Amazon Home Services earlier this week. This service enables customers to enlist the services of handymen and computer technicians, to give just two examples. Some experts are excited about Prime Now, with the Commercial Advantage consultancy’s Aidan Bocci telling the BBC: “This is absolutely not a gimmick…It may have to go through iterations before it really works, but this is a way to disrupt the linkage that exists between consumption and purchase.”
Bocci said that Amazon needed to innovate in order to offer something new for grocery customers. The company was recently given approval for drone trials.