Tweet Shop: American Express Unveils E-Commerce #HashTag
Feb 18, 2013
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Offering discounts via social media has been done to death, making it only a matter of time until Twitter entered uh, e-commerce? Thanks to a new collaborative effort between the social media giant and credit card favorite, American Express, it's now possible to make a purchase via Tweet.
Tweet Shop
Yep, you read it correctly: tweet shop. You can purchase merchandise on Twitter using a special hashtag. The only requirements?
- An active American Express card
- A valid Twitter account that is linked with the American Express Card you want to use
That's it. You're ready to hashtag away.
Wait, What's a Hashtag?
Good question! For those who don't know, people use hashtags (symbol #) before certain keywords or phrases in order to help them show up when users search Twitter.
Simply type # followed by the designated term (no spaces!) and you have a #hashtag. Easy, right?
Tweet Offers
Current offers can be found via @AmericanExpress, and include everything from bracelets to Sony cameras and Kindles. A quick glance at the company's twitter page shows several active hashtags, such as "#BuyKindleFireHD".
How It Works
Step One
Once a user has completed proper set up procedures, members who've opted in to the program simply need to compose a tweet using the designated hashtag for their merchandise. @AmexSync will reply with a confirmation hashtag.
Step Two
With a confirmation hashtag in hand, members will just need to tweet that. Within a few minutes, they'll have a confirmation e-mail from American Express. Users then have 15 minutes to confirm that they want the product, after which the synced credit card will be charged and the merchandise shipping to your billing address.
Think Daily Deal, Not Amazon
A good way to think of this unique method of purchasing is that it's more like a daily deal that is only available for a certain period of time. If you're an impulse buyer, you'll love it. If you're active on Twitter and have an America Express account, it's worth following to see what is/will become available.
With that in mind, Tweet shopping is likely to be a letdown if you're searching for a specific product or trying to compare prices.
Is Tweet Shopping Here To Stay?
Isn't this the million dollar question! For now, I think the best answer remains, let's wait and see.
So, will you try Tweet shopping? Why or why not?
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