Amazon and Twitter are joining forces to let users of the social network add items directly to their online shopping cart just by sending a tweet.
The service, called #AmazonBasket (or #AmazonCart in the US), requires the user to first connect their Twitter account to their Amazon account.
Then, when they see a tweet with a link to the Amazon page of a product they want to buy, they can reply with the hashtag, and the item will be added to their basket automatically.
It might take some of the friction out of making an impulse buy, but the concept has a few raising their eyebrows. The fact that users need to pre-register, while a logistical inevitability, creates a barrier to entry. Moreover, users still need to go to the Amazon website to actually finish the transaction. From the company which patented the concept of a "one-click" purchase, the effect is oddly arduous.
But Amazon itself had 1.01 million followers on Twitter as of March 31, according to data compiled by research firm eMarketer, and many more users than simply Amazon tweet links to products on the site by way of recommendation. There's big money at play either way.
Source: Guardian Technology
