You know the look the dog gives you when you forget to refill the container, so he winds up with crumbs for dinner? Or how about that moment of panic when your 20-page paper is due tomorrow morning, but on about page 6, the printer comes to a halt, noting that it is completely out of ink? Well, so does virtually everyone else in the world. Therefore, in an effort to help consumers avoid these daily frustrations, Amazon has introduced its Dash Replenishment service, currently available on a few smart devices. A GE washer will automatically reorder laundry detergent when the liquid reaches dangerously low levels. One of Brother’s printers sends automatic orders to Amazon for ink to replenish itself, and there is even a blood glucose monitor that links to Amazon to reorder the supplies for these health-saving devices. After setting up the services and agreeing to the automatic orders, customers don’t have to do anything—other than remember to feed the dog with the food that has been delivered to their doorstep.

Source: Industry Week, January 19, 2016