Dozens of new brands will be added to the lineup of tiny widgets, which people can click to purchase household goods through the internet retail giant, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Amazon is reportedly trying to attract more consumers to its Dash push-button ordering devices by beefing up the brands offering goods for sale through the gadgets.

The internet retail giant is expected to announce this week the addition of dozens of new brands for Dash buttons, according to a Wall Street Journal report Sunday that cites documents and people familiar with the matter. It wasn't immediately clear which brands might be added to the lineup of Dash buttons, which are small, Internet-connected buttons that people can click to purchase household goods like paper towels or detergent through Amazon.

The new batch of brands comes roughly two months after Amazon unleashed dozens more of them to mark the first anniversary of the tiny widgets in April, tripling the current lineup to surpass 100 different buttons. Because the Dash button was introduced just before April 1, 2015, some reporters wondered if the concept was a joke.

Despite the reinforcements, consumer response to the tiny devices has been tepid, according to one market researcher. In a study released in march, Slice Intelligence found that less than 50 percent of people who bought the buttons actually placed an order with them.

The Dash buttons are yet another way for Amazon to hook in customers and keep them from buying quickly consumable items from nearby grocery or convenience stores. Brands seem to love the program because it helps keep customers loyal.

Dash buttons are available to customers of Amazon's $99-per-year Prime membership in the US essentially for free. Customers have to pay $4.99 upfront for each one, but that payment is then reimbursed after the first purchase using the button.

Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Source:
courtesy of CNET

by Steven Musil

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