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Amazon Intros TextBuyIt, For Mobile Comparison Shopping

by Will Safer on April 3, 2008 at 01:54 PM

Amazon.com's TextBuyIt

We'll admit it. We've been chased out of a big box retailer or two for taking pictures of products and writing notes on prices. It seems comparison shopping isn't something these stores want their customers to be doing.

But in comes Amazon.com to the rescue.

The giant online retailer announced a new service called TextBuyIt for a little comparison shopping and buying, and it's as easy as sending a text and receiving a text message.

Here's how the new service from Amazon works:

First, find a product you want to buy. Send a text message to "AMAZON" (262966) with the name of the product, search term or a UPC or ISBN code, and in short order Amazon replies with the product or products that match the search, along with prices. To buy an item, reply to the text message by entering the unique single digit number next to the item you want. You then then receive a short phone call from Amazon with the final details of the order. Then you confirm or cancel the purchase.

Easy please-y.

If it's your first time using the TextBuyIt service, you'll be asked for your e-mail address and shipping ZIP code that's connected to your Amazon.com account. The e-tailer then uses your default settings for payment, shipping address and shipping speed.

This is another service that's similar to what our friends in Asia are already doing all the time. In Japan, it's common for shoppers to do their buying via mobile phone. Now we get to satisfy our need to shop on the fly, as well.

From Amazon.com and Reuters.


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Tags: amazon, amazon.com, comparison, ctia 2008, Ctia2008, mobile shopping, MobileShopping, shopping, textbuyit, texting, txt

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