Amazon has launched Amazon TextBuyIt, a service that allows Amazon customers to purchase items via mobile phone text message.
To use the service, customers text the name of a product, its description, or its UPC or ISBN number to Amazon (262966). If Amazon stocks the item, the user will get the first two results sent to them. To purchase am item, users reply with 1 or 2 and are prompted for their email address and zip code. The service then calls the user and completes the checkout process using an automated voice system. Like regular Amazon orders, users can later track the item from Amazon.com.
The service is free to use, however items that are available as “Deal of the Day” or have a “Gold Box Discount” will not be discounted when purchased through Amazon TextBuyIt.
The obvious application for the service is price comparisons from within a physical store; customers in Borders for example could SMS a book title to see whether Amazon stocks it for less. Expect to see people texting Amazon from a store near you in the coming months.
This should definitely increase some Amazon sales… more impulse buys.
I’m looking forward to their SMS Web-Service!
very clever, I thought for a moment they were creating a web service around sms and that would of been very cool.
this service can be used by indian custoners like me
its a cool service
Amazon is becoming more creative and innovative. It has to otherwise it will be like Yahoo being trampled by Google’s creative innovation.
Nice service for the customers. If I had plans to open a bookstore, I would build it underground so customers cannot use this service
I’m no patent attorney but doesn’t this look dangerously similar to the Google GPay patent application that was reported a while back?
http://www.techcrunch.com/2007.....phone-app/
April Fools!
I call April Fool!
I thought that inputting a 18 digit ISBN or UPC sounded like fun! IT FOOL>U
what a great, new service!
basically we just wanted to get acquired by google. now of course amazon is on our list too.
Sounds quite convenient.
Looks like it’s been done before by Price.ru
Sounds good
Frucall (www.frucall.com) started this service a couple of years ago.
Hmm… this could be great for some extra sales for Amazon but how many people do you think would make big purchases through text messaging? Hmm.. we’d be a bit apprehensive!
this is the stupidest thing i’ve ever heard. wtf would someone go through the pain in ass of searching and transacting via text message with amazon then recieve a mobile call from a sales associate to complete the order?? with things like 1-click… etc… people do NOT walk around the bookstore and then think to themselves… “hey, i know.. i’ll text message amazon back and forth and wait 4 days for my book”…. come off it Amazon… you just aren’t that important to us. If we’re in a bookstore, that’s because you’ve already failed so you need to piss off of this whole ‘try to sneak into the bookstore’ approach… your better to partner with them and set up in store terminals etc… if you weren’t so hell bent on putting bookstores out of business you might find yourself with a lot of lucrative partnerships… but you’re stuck with this self image problem… get over it, for us… you know, the people who made you what you are… Eventually bookstores will prohibit mobile device usage in their stores… thanks for nothing Amazon.
@17 : I don’t think it’s stupid at all. Why not give the customers multiple ways to shop? It’s an added convenience when you’re away from a computer. And I don’t think amazon will be make this their exclusive ordering method any time soon.
stop the hating. embrace creative innovation.
@17 - amazon is usually cheaper than bn. it would be totally awesome to just order from amazon after groping the product at a bn
For books, i use this iphone app: http://www.campusbooks4less.com/iphone
Searches amazon and others, helpful for me at least.
This is darn clever, although I believe someone else must have tried it. But it is Amazon who has the muscle to make this a real success. Amazon is the prefect company to do it.
I can see the trend that traditional retailers will have to partner with Amazon to become the fulfillment centers for Amazon. Continuing on this model, once the customer find a better price from Amazon, he would rather buy it from Amazon. Then why can’t the order be fulfilled at the physical store where the customer is shopping? e.g., If Best Buy make a deal with Amazon so that the order is routed back to Best Buy, then the customer get the merchandise with little delay. A win-win-win for Amazon, Best Buy and the customer.
This can be an extension of in-store pickup service offered by major retailers like BestBuy and Circuit City. The difference is now it requires collaboration between multiple big retailers. Patents already exist to describe how it can be done.
At Vertour, we are doing some interesting things around the in-store pickup service.
- Kevin
Founder, Vertour — The green way to deliver
Agree with @17. Is it that hard to put the order in at amazon.com?
Amazon should let you add items to a “Wish List” so you could look them over later. Amazon is not only cheaper then BN/Borders, it has Ratings and Reviews! I would love if I could both browse in a bookstore, add a dozen books to a list, then get the great prices and information before buying.
Note the tie-in with the upcoming Grand Theft Auto 4: while listening to in-game music, the player can use their game cellphone to txt a number that will send an Amazon.com link for you to purchase the song.
http://www.gta4.net/news/4042/.....cial-club/
(yawn)
This is very exciting. I often hesitate to buy something at a book store because I wonder how much cheaper it would be at Amazon. Now I can go ahead and order it from Amazon or decide to get it at the book store if it is cheaper (unlikely) or I am willing to pay the difference to have the book in my hands right away.
As someone who is currently setting-up a SMS advertising/networking service targeted at small to medium businesses, I think this service is really neat. B&N has to always be planning how they can seal the deal for customers that walk in and NOT let them go home and look on Amazon. This just killed all their customer service tactics.
The only question I have is, what if I want to buy 3 books at one time? I wouldn’t go as far as the phone call purchase because it sounds like you can only do one item per call. I would text each ISBN or title to compare the prices, then go home and get on Amazon and do the order for all 3 books.
Does that sound like how it will have to work to you all? It would be a good addition for Amazon to figure out how to allow multiple item text purchases.
Oh man. Now I know why they banned txtreviews. Very disappointing.
http://www.txtreviews.com/Amazon_Ban.html