Amazon is starting to sell more of its Dash button devices to early adopters over in the US. Reuters reports that the online retailer is effectively offering these free of charge because of a scheme whereby the value of the button will be translated into a discount on the product with which it is compatible.

The Dash button concept is simple; users put this small wireless device wherever is convenient in their home, so whenever they run out of a particular product, whether it is washing powder or toilet roll, they can simply press it and an order will be placed with Amazon.

In the near future, Amazon is going to expand the number of brands which have their own Dash Button on offer to 29, although it is worth pointing out that for the time being, only members of the Prime delivery service in the US will be able to purchase them, with each costing roughly £3.

Since this amount can easily be recouped when an order is placed, Amazon customers may well start to adopt the Dash buttons in larger numbers. And soon the extent to which household items are ordered online may increase.

Amazon would be sensible to bring the Dash service to the UK, since bringing this kind of immediacy to the purchasing process could help it to expand its e-commerce influence into new areas. And rather than nipping to the corner shop when an item runs out, customers can, instead, hit the dash button and know that the product they want will turn up at their door within two days.

Some users have already found a way to hack Dash buttons, but only so that they can be used to operate other functions and services, rather than in a way that compromises their security.