Business

Yes, You Can Now Shop Amazon Via Twitter

Amazon introduced #AmazonCart Monday. It allows you to hashtag a tweet with an Amazon link to instantly add that item to your cart.

Yes, You Can Now Shop Amazon Via Twitter
Amazon
SMS

​Amazon is rolling out a new service Monday that lets you shop from the comfort of your own ...Twitter feed?

This is #AmazonCart, and here's how it works. (Via Amazon)

"Whenever you see a tweet with an Amazon product link, ust hit 'reply' and add #AmazonCart."

Then, you'll receive a reply from @MyAmazon that looks something like this, confirming your order. (Via Twitter)

But note that epic banana slicer isn't on its way to your door just yet. It's merely added to your Amazon Cart. You'll still have to log on later to complete your transaction.

#AmazonCart will only work if you first connect your two accounts by going to your social settings page on Amazon.

TechCrunch says this move makes sense for Amazon as social sites like Pinterest start straddling the line between social network and ecommerce site. "So Amazon extending its reach into social hubs where web users are congregating and discussing products is an obvious strategy to defend itself against the rise of alternative social retail hubs."

And let's be honest, it's also a bit of free advertising for Amazon, although a spokeswoman for the company told The Wall Street Journal that isn't the point.

She says Twitter users and Amazon affiliates are already sharing links. "So to be able to allow customers to add something to their Amazon cart without leaving Twitter was sort of a logical step."

And it might also be the next logical step for Twitter too.

The company continues to struggle on Wall Street with shares hitting a new low last week.

But perhaps the Amazon partnership could help. Mashable says, "Twitter, which is under pressure to monetize its social network activity, has now found a seamless way to enable e-commerce on the platform."

That said, Amazon told CNET Twitter doesn't get a cut of the #AmazonCart pie, so it might amount to nothing more than press for the social network.

#AmazonCart is live in the U.S. and U.K. Monday, although you U.K. users will need to hashtag replies #AmazonBasket for your 140-character shopping.