Dive Brief:

• Amazon has added Dash buttons for 40 more brands, including the first apparel retailer, Calvin Klein, Geekwire reports. That brings the number of Dash buttons to more than 300, according to Fortune. Other new additions include: CeraVe skin products, Listerine, Pepsi, Treehouse Kids, Tylenol and VOSS.

• The Dash program is proving to be particularly effective for customers ordering household products, with Fortune reporting that six of the top 10 Dash orders are toilet paper and paper towels. Amazon told Fortune that Folgers Coffee, Peet's Coffee, Pepperidge Farm and Ziploc receive more than half of their Amazon orders via Dash. 

• In addition to actual buttons, which Amazon customers can buy for a refundable $5, Amazon in January installed virtual buttons on its website. 

Dive Insight:

Amazon first launched the Dash automated commerce program in March 2015, prompting speculation that it was an April Fool's joke. Though it had a slow start, it now seems clear that Amazon's innovation has tapped into a consumer need: Fortune on Tuesday estimated that Dash brings in some 5,760 orders each day. 

Last year, Amazon said that orders surged 75% in the first quarter, though such high percentages are expected when still in the early stages. In July last year, the program saw a 650% increase in the number of orders year over year, according to data from Slice Intelligence, cited by Fortune. Amazon said earlier this year that success is what prompted the development of the virtual version, adding that the idea actually came from Dash’s popularity and wasn’t related to the pending expiration of Amazon’s patent for one-click purchases.

Amazon has certainly been doing all the things it needs to do to make Dash successful. One key to Dash’s growth — and one of the biggest keys to Amazon's entire corporate success story — is volume. Adding more products and more brands to give customers choice is one of the cornerstones of growth for any retailer.

Then there's convenience, another pillar of retail success. Thanks to the digital versions, Dash buttons are no longer limited to customers who ask for them (and go through the process of deciding to try them, ponying up the refundable $5 and actually using them). To make it even easier to access and manage, Amazon is providing an “Add to your Dash buttons” notice on the page of any eligible product.

The Dash program extends beyond buttons, virtual or otherwise. Amazon’s Dash Replenishment effort allows device manufacturer partners to integrate Dash technology into their products to enable automatic supply reordering. For example, GE Appliances' WiFi-connected dishwasher measures how many pods are used by counting wash cycles, and when the supply runs low, it automatically reorders more.