Jordan O'BrienAmazon is expanding its Dash grocery scanner availability outside of the US for the very first time since the product’s introduction in 2014. The first market it has arrived in? The UK of course.
Having recently launched AmazonFresh in the UK, the online retailer’s push into grocery delivery, Amazon is now ready to make it even more convenient for people to order extra tins of bins and other necessities.
The Amazon Dash is a small handheld gadget that allows users to add products to their basket with its barcode scanner or by using their voice. The scanner then links to the user’s Amazon account, which they can simply login to and complete the order when they’re ready.
This is the first time Amazon has made a voice-recognition device available in the UK. Alexa, the voice assistant found on the Amazon Echo line-up of speakers, has notably been absent this side of the pond since her release. Even when Amazon updated its Fire TV set-top box, it failed to add the Alexa functionality that Americans were free to enjoy.
For those still confused about exactly what Amazon Dash is, think of it as a smart Dictaphone. Users simply speak the products they want, Amazon recognises what the user is after and matches it with their product portfolio and then adds it to a user’s basket. It’s basically a smarter alternative to the Amazon Dash buttons, which are available in the US and are programmable buttons that allow users to push a button to get dedicated products, such as Trojan condoms or a bottle of Smartwater.
For years Amazon has tried to make it simpler for users to order products from its online store to encourage spending. With the Dash scanner, Amazon is achieving exactly that, while simultaneously integrating grocery shopping into the smarter home.
Of course Amazon Dash is likely to be a first step in the world of voice-recognition devices to launch in the UK. It’s widely expected that the much-beloved Amazon Echo will also see a release in the UK by the end of the year. It’s yet to be seen if it will get competition from Google’s Home this side of the Atlantic however.
The Amazon Dash scanner is only available to AmazonFresh customers – which is currently limited to 128 London postcode regions. Amazon says that users who do want to acquire one can do so for free until August 28, so long as two orders are made with AmazonFresh within that period.