The new development will allow Amazon to sell you products before you know you need them.
There are more and more "smart" devices around us, designed to make it easier to perform small tasks that everyone usually forgets about. So, the Amazon Dash Smart Shelf will keep track of office supplies in your office, reordering them as needed.
From a technical point of view, everything is quite simple - inside the shelf there are sensitive scales that constantly monitor the weight of objects lying on them, registering all changes. Amazon will sell shelves in small, medium and large sizes that run on four AAA batteries or mains power and connect to a Wi-Fi network. The product is intended exclusively for small businesses and requires a US business license to purchase.
When you connect your device to your Amazon Business or Amazon Shopping account, you'll need to specify exactly what supplies are on the shelf and how many to order when stocks run out. For example, a shelf with a bunch of notebooks will notice that you are running out of them as soon as it registers a noticeable weight loss.
However, if you don't want the order to be processed automatically, you can set up the shelf so that it simply sends you a message that stocks are about to run out. However, Amazon specifically notes that by purchasing Amazon Dash Smart Shelf and setting up automatic ordering, you get an additional 15% discounts on select stationery brands.
This is not the first time Amazon has released such solutions. It all started with Amazon Dash buttons that allowed you to quickly order the right items. So, noting that the washing powder was running out, you could simply press the button, this was enough to complete the order. Dash buttons are no longer for sale, but the idea has resulted in the Amazon Dash Replenishment Service. Devices that support it are able to order consumables themselves. For example, the printer itself will order ink as soon as it registers that they are running low. A smart shelf is another example of a service-enabled device.
