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Comment by bbx | Hacker News Reader

It's a intermediate step towards absolute frictionless purchasing.

We went from physical in-store cash payments to online 1-click delivery. The purchasing experience has continuously been quickened, to close the gap between the intent and the action.

Nowadays, running out of coffee capsules (for example) still requires some interaction, via your phone or your laptop. There's at least a dozen of seconds between the intent and the action.

Having a button attached to the products container doesn't only remove that intent/action gap physically but also mentally, because you're actually consuming the product at that exact moment.

The ultimate frictionless experience would be for coffee capsules to be delivered before running out of them, through a prediction system à la Google Now. But that would require some kind of physical tracking system...

Some people think it's an April fools joke. I'm not so sure. It makes sense to me.

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If you think about what a butler would do, that's the logical endpoint, it could mostly be done in software I think. Given a budget and a set of goals (keep certain things stocked, fresh, replace when used) it would try to satisfy them. It might warn you if it can't, and you could adjust criteria if you don't like the results. Given the API that appears to be behind the buttons I think we're already at the point where you could create a device so you could just yell in frustration "GODDAMMIT I NEED MORE TIDE™" and then it shows up an hour later (in select cities).

> Given the API that appears to be behind the buttons I think we're already at the point where you could create a device so you could just yell in frustration "GODDAMMIT I NEED MORE TIDE™" and then it shows up an hour later (in select cities).

http://www.amazon.com/oc/echo/

oops, forgot that was real, I only remembered the parody: https://youtu.be/GijLoiVkmYI (nsfw language)

They also released an API:

https://www.amazon.com/oc/dash-replenishment-service

> Nowadays, running out of coffee capsules (for example) still requires some interaction, via your phone or your laptop.

Just taking a moment to enjoy that the above quote would have sounded exactly "like the future" to childhood me, and yet is both true and how I live my life today.

(Fast forward to 2025)

"Wait, you expect me to actually PUSH A BUTTON?"

Hey Siri, order more tide.

Hey Google (through my Nest), am I low on anything? If so, go ahead and order it through (whomever is cheapest|whomever can get it here today).

Now that door-to-door supermarket deliveries are a thing (at least, they are here in the UK) it actually seems that a lot of items would just be more convenient to order on a subscription basis. For example, I'm pretty much always* going to need toilet paper, soap, shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, tea bags, salt, pepper, etc. at about the same rate as I need them now. None of those things will spoil fast enough for it to be a problem if they're not delivered exactly when I need them. I would be delighted to just not have to think about the essentials and leave grocery shopping for the more interesting, impulsive decisions. These buttons seem to be just for the former, though. In other words, I'd rather not have the button OR the auto-running-out-sensing thing when a regular order would just be easier all round.

Amazon here in the US does that. You can even get a single package of gum sent to you once a week, and you'll get a discount on it.

There are other services like ManPacks, Dollar Shave Club, etc that offer subscriptions to everyday essentials.

I'm annoyed they haven't closed the PID loop to track how many oz of mouthwash I consume, or use, per month, so it could predict how often to ship me various sizes and quantities of mouthwash.

Also being individual item oriented every time inflation leaves its mark and bottles shrink in size, my subscription is cancelled and I need to make a new S+S for the "new and improved" one oz smaller bottle. And every time the mfgr decides to play games with 2-pack vs 3-pack of bottles, I gotta resubscribe again. Really annoying.

What I want from amazon is a web interface of "based on order history I seem to be using 412.345 oz of mint mouthwash per year and amazon predicts I have 20.001 oz on hand (click here to update quantity on hand) and to meet our guarantee of you having 2 weeks supply on hand at all time we're shipping you our current mint mouthwash best deal of two bottles in one box" or whatever.

I get a pretty big S+S box every month. I have not automated down to weekly purchases like toilet paper but inevitably it'll happen some day. I wonder if they'll ever have a standard reusable stackable shipping crate like peapod food containers. That must be cheaper than all this cardboard.

I like the idea (diapers and UHT milk packets) until they tell me they can't fulfill the order every once in a while (or fulfill it significantly later). I get an email (and not in time to order a replacement elsewhere in time) and have to go about ensuring that I have enough.

If it's not reasonably reliable, it's not really worth subscribing to.

Or: "Thanks Google! I didn't know I was low on toilet paper"

Didn't I just read on HN the other day that you can do motion tracking with audio? I wouldn't be shocked if my Nest thermostat and protect smoke detectors could geolocate my in my home.

"You have been pooping for 8 minutes, which is 3 minutes longer than your average. Would you like me to order some Metamucil?"

[Yes] [OK] [Sure]

* Note: use of this data is governed by our Privacy Policy, which is impossible to understand and changes on a daily basis.

Why would I even have to say this? Shouldn't it already just do it every day?

This was my pet peeve with Star Trek... Always having to tell the computer to do basic shit it should just do automatically .

Computer: I'm going to reorder milk, is that okay? Me: Yes

Not

Me: Computer do we need milk? Computer: Let me check, Yes. Me: Order some then. Computer: Ok.

Except you think that, rather than saying it audibly.

not sure why this is being downvoted, but this seems like the best solution of all. it's still a one button operation but you're not locked in to pre-programmed choices and it can service the whole house (and office if you press it at work).

Amazon also made the Alexa kitchen radio thing.

http://www.amazon.com/oc/echo

They really want to find a way to have me do exactly this. "Hey I need more detergent. Press skinner-box level. Great more detergent is on it's way! Right from your favorites list on Amazon."

And frankly, that would be great and wildly convenient.

If it all goes as planned, you will likely have that too automated(More like automated detection if you are running out of groceries, in some way), either self driving cars or drones will deliver it to you.

I don't currently feel any "friction" to purchasing laundry detergent.

I have to buy it in the supermarket and carry it home. Or I have to order it online.

As someone without a car, it is annoying buying new detergent along with the week's groceries.

It's pretty annoying to strap on a motorcycle.

I've got to drive to the store, find it, wait in line, check out, put it in my car and then drive home. That's much more friction than just pressing a button.

> But that would require some kind of physical tracking system...

Package RFID tags with every item, and a smart fridge/smart cabinet. It's not that hard.

A retailer like Walmart might even pay for the manufacturer to install these RFID tags, as they can be used double-duty in the retailer's own inventory process.

Or, you can do what I do -- a barcode scanner near my trash can that scans the UPC codes of everything that I throw away (or recycle) and adds it to my shopping list for the next time that I'm out.

Are you the guy who runs the Oscar github repo?

https://github.com/danslimmon/oscar

You still have to make the effort to scan it though, right?

This is pretty clever. Where is your database of UPCs coming from?

This just seems like a stop-gap solution before the true solution which is wearables (or Amazon Echo/Glass).

Saying the name of what you want to buy into your smartwatch/glass/echo is going to be a lot more frictionless and scalable than putting these buttons all over your house.

| The ultimate frictionless experience would be for coffee capsules to be delivered before running out of them

But it's not like people can't be this, without much mental overhead. If I know it takes two days to ship something, and I use it daily, and recognize I'll be out in three days - I'm gonna push that button.

It's frictionless because it integrates perfectly with the use of the product.

How long before automatic cat-feeders automatically purchase cat food for you?

The data generated by even a few dozen people using these buttons will greatly improve prediction algorithms for consumables. This is totally creepy and awesome.

If you click through the innovators link, they have a form of this tech that you can build into the device so that it can order automatically for you.

I think the end game is delivery of a good by robotics in under an hour. I'm not sure what the next step in that is. But this doesn't solve the main problem Amazon faces that their traditional competition solves: I don't have a good, say laundry detergent, and I need it now. I'd wait an hour for a drone to deliver something to my apartment if it meant not having to go out to the store.

Like you said, and intermediate step.

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