A-commerce, or augmented commerce, goes a step further than the world of e-commerce.  Thanks to intelligent devices and new technology, such as artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and big data, we can automate our purchases to occur in the exact moment that we need something…or when we just want something.  If it’s still not clear, we’ve provided a few examples below.

The failed Dash Button from Amazon

The e-commerce giant wasn’t going to be left out of this new way to consume.  That’s why they created the Dash Button, an actual button linked to your Amazon account that allowed you to buy a certain product when pressed.  Each button was programmed to buy one product.  Considered unnecessary by many people, Amazon withdrew the button from the market last February.  It has now been overtaken by virtual assistants like Alexa and the Echo.

Your rubbish can do the weekly shop for you

The Dash Replenishment Service from Amazon continues to offer the option of automating your purchases via connected appliances, such as the fridge, the coffee machine, or the washing machine.  But something that really caught our attention was the GeniCan, a scanner connected to your rubbish bin that detects the products you have thrown away and buys replacements for you.

L’Oréal

One of the biggest cosmetic brands in the world has taken a chance on augmented reality and artificial intelligence linked to apps that allow you to buy things in real time.  For example, one app recommends products based on the problems it detects from your selfies and allows you to buy these products instantaneously.  L’Oreal teamed up with Asian beauty chain store Watsons to launch #ColourMe, which allows you to virtually try on 300 makeup products and make an immediate purchase.

a-commerce for your holidays

The tourism sector has also been taking advantage of this new system.  Thanks to the start-up Nixi1, we can book a flight or a hotel with just a voice note on an instant messaging service.  Artificial intelligence then connects to search engines and sends us a link with the available options.  The Revolut app offers automatic daily travel insurance when your geolocator tells it that you’ve left the country.

Subscribe and forget

We all need to replace our socks sometimes.  With their “sockscription” service,, Blacksocks gives you the option of not having to worry about this for the rest of your life. During your first purchase, you decide on the number of and time between deliveries.  The same subscription and periodic delivery service is used by the American company Dollar Shave Club, which sends you razors every month for the price of one dollar.  It is also used by Mexican company Zoé Water, which allows you to create a monthly order for mineral water so that you are never without water.

Buying with a smile

No, we’re not talking about being nice to the shop assistant, because there is no shop assistant.  When a-commerce technology is used in physical stores, it allows you to make a purchase without going to the register, just like at the Amazon Go supermarket.  Chinese giant Alibaba followed in its footsteps by developing facial recognition technology.  This was first used in the pop-up Tao Café, and was then employed at KFC payment kiosks with the innovative “smile to pay” system, where the only thing you have to do in order to pay for your order is smile.