Amazon to let you shop via hashtags
Amazon has announced a partnership with Twitter that it hopes will make users’ shopping more convenient.
Amazon has introduced a new hashtag for use on Twitter, #AmazonBasket (or #AmazonCart in the US), which will enable shoppers to add items to their cart on the go. This effectively turns Twitter into a shopping portal with over 230 million active users.
Whenever a link to an Amazon product appears on their Twitter feed, users can reply to the tweet with the hashtag and it will be added to their cart.
For this to work, customers will have to have correctly linked their Twitter and Amazon accounts so that the system can work out which customer’s Cart should have an item added. To link your accounts, visit the #AmazonBasket promotional page.
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What are the advantages?
Since Twitter feeds move so quickly, it’s easy to see a product that you want but forget about it as the feed updates. The hashtag will fill your basket on the fly, and you can then sign in to Amazon later to finalise your purchases and pay.
It’s therefore useful as a memory aid for good deals; if you’ve been after a product but waiting for the right price and spot a deal mentioned on Twitter, you can save it for when you get home. Twitter reports that 80% of users access the service via mobile devices, so the new hashtag is likely to prove popular.
While the #AmazonBasket hashtag will come into handy when you spot a bargain, impulse buying will become a very easy trap to fall into.
The service is currently only available in the UK and the US.
What do you think? Are you likely to make use of the new hashtag service? Or is it a recipe for overspending? Let us know your thoughts in the comments box below.
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