Corrections & Clarification: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated what was required to use the Amazon Dash Replenishment service. It is available to all Amazon customers, unlike the Dash button which is only available to Amazon Prime members.
SAN FRANCISCO — The day your house automatically orders whatever you're running low on came a step closer Tuesday, with Amazon's launch of what it calls a "replenishment" service.
A printer, a washing machine and a blood glucose monitor are the first three products that will automatically order more supplies when they're close to running out.
Beginning Tuesday, selected Brother printer models will track their toner usage and consumption patterns and then — if the user has selected the service — automatically order more from Amazon when levels dip.
"The truly magical experience is that it arrives on your doorstep just when you need it," said Daniel Rausch, director of Amazon Devices.
Brother has made 45 models compatible with the replenishment service, with more to come, said Don Cummins, Brother's senior vice president for marketing.
Later this month GE, will launch a washer that will automatically buy its own laundry detergent. The user fills a reservoir in the washer with detergent and then the machine monitors how many loads of laundry has been done, ordering more from Amazon when it's about out,
Also later this month, the Gmate SMART blood glucose meter will be able to automatically order test strips via Amazon. It's a device diabetics use to track their blood sugar.
A Whirlpool washer announced earlier this month at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas also syncs to Amazon Dash replenishment. The machine is connected to the replacement service and prompts users to order more detergent when it is running low, or orders for them.
The devices announced Tuesday don't prompt, they're set-and-forget. Once you tell your printer it should send out for toner when it starts to run low, it just keeps doing it until you tell it to stop. The products represent another step on the road to automating shopping, and automating Amazon as the seller.
"They're trying to make buying household consumables as seamless and frictionless as possible," said Sucharita Mulpuru, a senior Amazon analyst with Forrester Research.
The new replenishment devices are yet another addition to Amazon's original Dash service, which launched in March.
The Dash button is a small lozenge-sized device that consumers can stick near commonly-bought items, allowing them to order more with a single click. The button sends a wireless message to the customer's Amazon Prime account and the item arrives within two days.
The replenishment service is available to all Amazon customers, unlike the Dash button which was only available to Amazon Prime members, who pay $99 per year for free, two-day shipping and access to other perks.
The three are only the first in what Amazon expects to be a multitude of devices that will automatically order for themselves. They include Brita water filters, pet food dispensers, pool monitors, coffee makers and soap dispensers.
Amazon is also making it easier for companies and developers to incorporate the Dash replenishment program into their products, by allowing them to access the Dash application program interface, or API. This is a set of tools for building the Dash software.
Amazon wants to make it was easy as possible for developers to build ordering capabilities into their projects. "It requires as few as 10 lines of code," Rausch said.
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