Shop By Text with Amazon
by Mike Phillips
Posted on 04.02.2008
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Amazon has released TextBuyIt, a service that lets people text the name of a product, its description or its UPC or ISBN to 262966 ('Amazon' on a keypad) from their mobile and receive matching items. The results are displayed two at a time, where shoppers can then purchase by either selecting "1" or "2," respectively. Texting "M" shows more selections.
You are then prompted to enter your Amazon account email address, plus a shipping zip code. The service then calls you with checkout instructions using an automated voice system.
So let's see ... first I need to send a text message, hope my product description finds a match (unless I somehow have the UPC), get results, text back which product I want or look for more products, wait for a phone call, then deal with an automated system - which experience tells me is going to be slow and not always accurate. It sounds like a hassle not worth the convenience.
However, kudos to Amazon for finding a way to take advantage of mobile devices and, more specifically, mobile commerce. It's certainly a step in the right direction.
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