Why GE And Samsung Are Backing Amazon IoT Push

The days of human intervention in the restocking of the fridge may be coming to an end.

Yesterday (Oct. 1), Amazon announced 11 new device makers working in collaboration with its Dash Replenishment Service (DRS) program — meaning the eCommerce provider will work in tandem with IoT developers looking to build products that can automatically restock themselves.

Those restockings will happen via Amazon and will occur automatically as supplies are running low. That could include such wonders as a dog bowl that knows when it needs to order additional food for the family pet or a water pitcher that orders its own filters.

DRS-enabled devices are still coming soon, and they are not expected to ship until the end of the year.

But the program is bringing some rather high-profile brands along for the ride. Among parners announced this week: GE, Samsung, Oster, Gmate, Petnet, and Sutro, among others. They join existing DRS partners Brother, Whirlpool and Brita.

“Customers don’t have to do anything. They can simply rely on the connected device to automatically reorder the consumables that keep their homes running smoothly,” Peter Larsen, vice president of Amazon Devices, said in a statement. “For device makers, DRS makes it easy to add reordering functionality to their devices.”

The tech behind the DRS program mirrors that of the Dash button, which allows customers to reorder a variety of consumer goods with a single button press. Both programs stem from a common desire on Amazon’s part to make the service so frictionless it becomes reflexive for consumers and also to remove the need for consumers to ever choose between the store around the corner and Amazon.

In the near term, that will mean washers and dryers by Whirlpool and GE that can order soap and other laundry supplies. The various pet supplies makers can develop smart tech that keeps the dog’s dish full.

This effort combines with Amazon’s other recent expansions into grocery, on-demand delivery, voice-activated commands through the Echo program and Prime streaming services. If it can be sold to you, Amazon wants to sell it, and the company has signed on some big name partners, like GE and Samsung, to help it build an even more frictionless commerce platform.

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