The multinational of Jeff Besoz launches the Amazon Dash Replenishment service and starts numerous collaborations with companies to allow household appliances to order autonomously the consumables needed for their operation.
After the launch in Italy of Amazon Dash, small intuitive item that allows doing shopping with a simple click, the multinational of Jeff Besoz aims at establishing collaborations with the white good industry, to increase further automatic orders and intends to be the ideal partner to implement in household appliances IoT functions able to make automatic and simple the reorder of consumables needed for their operation. Stefano Martinelli, manager of Amazon consumable category, tells how the new service, called Dash Replenishment, can turn out a strategic tool to devise functions appreciated by consumers.
How does the new Dash Replenishment service work?
It is a service, called also DRS, released for third parties, which can be used by producers to enable their connected household appliances to reorder consumables autonomously. Let us imagine for instance the detergent for washing machines, the cartridges for printers or coffee machine pods. Dash Replenishment Service allows then various devices and the companies producing them to exploit at best Amazon’s retail platform to build automatic reorder experiences able to improve their customers’ use experience.
How is this advantage put into practice?
I mention for instance the DRS implementation accomplished by Brita, which has integrated the service into a connected jug model already sold in the United States. To improve its customers’ use experience, the company needed they could reorder water filters when necessary. The average replacement time is generally one month but the datum is highly variable and depends on the number of components of the family and on the effective water consumption. Thanks to DRS, today the jug monitors the filter state and reorder them when they are ending up, creating added-value for users who must not remember to buy them any longer.
How can the manufacturers of small and big household appliances monetize this added-value?
First, increasing the customer satisfaction can certainly prove to be strategic. Besides it, industry can decide to use DRS to sell consumables purposely designed and manufactured for its devices, maybe using its own brand. Alternatively, it is possible to receive a payment for other products sold on amazon.com, with the creation of new opportunities to make one’s own business grow.
What are the advantages of relying on your technology instead of developing a proprietary one?
We believe, as confirmed by the big brands that have joined the project, that pluses are essentially two. DRS is scalable and avails itself of our well-tested logistic. The manufacturers of connected household appliances, thanks to Dash Replenishment, must not take care of implementing the whole organizational structure needed to deliver the products purchased by their customers. From their point of view, relying on a service that makes all that available through a simple API (editor’s note, application programming interface) is very advantageous.
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What brands have started experimentations with DRS?
We start from BSH that has integrated DRS into Bosch and Siemens dishwashers with Home Connect function, which thanks to the dedicated app can automatically replenish the detergent tablets without depleting stocks. Follow the new Beko washing machines and dishwashers that will manage all activities through smartphone or tablet and, if desired, they will automatically order the indispensable products such as detergent, softener, salt and rinse aid for dishwashers. The same is true for Grundig models. Whirlpool will instead integrate Dash Replenishment with its 6th Sense Live App that helps customers to monitor and to control appliances from whatever place, still through mobile devices, permitting to reorder detergent, descaling, anti-bacterial filter or softener. Outside the white good world, are not missing then printers able to control the ink levels to reorder cartridges before being unable to print, like for instance KYOCERA ones that with Dash Replenishment will automatically order the new toner from Amazon when stocks will be almost exhausted or some office Samsung models that will select, through the Mobile Print app of the brand, the toner that will be ordered to the e-commerce giant.
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Do companies establish agreements with you to make use of the service?
Yes, directly with us, through the dedicated internet site.
How does the integration of Dash Replenishment occur inside the household appliance later on?
Device producers can start using DRS with just 10 code lines using simple HTML containers with API REST. It is necessary to create an Amazon Data Account (LWA) and register the application. LWA allows customers to use their Amazon account credentials to register in DRS. LWA has a SDK that simplifies the service integration into the web site, iOS, Android or in the brand application. Besides this, DRS uses a simple notification service (SNS) to send order updates and the state information for provisioning demands. Configuring SNS is simple, it is possible to use the AWS management console to succeed in implementing the service. Finally, we must think of the products we want the device automatically orders, setting the Slots. Most of colour printers, for instance, have four slots, one for each colour cartridge. The number of slots for each device is determined by the number of distinct products that the customer might reorder to grant the use.
Can DRS be implemented in all household appliances?
The service is compatible with all connected devices and operates with any sensor or monitoring mechanism but the best experience for customers is the implementation of a system that directly tracks the customer’s use and fulfils orders consequently.
Is DRS dedicated to the big industry only?
No, it is not. We want to work with device manufacturers of all sizes, from big companies to hobbyists.
How do you think this service will evolve in the future?
We imagine a future in which household appliances will be able to take care of themselves, ordering the products they need at the right time. DRS gives the possibility of integrating this function that does not need explanations, it works in the same way for all brands, it is low-cost and really simplifies consumers’ life.
