May 18, 2013
Online shopping is getting as simple as tweeting a hashtag.
That's because American Express has now teamed up with Twitter to turn the social media site into a checkout line.
To start shopping - American Express customers sync their cards with a Twitter account. Members can buy products by tweeting certain hashtags. They then get a reply confirmation hashtag and a email.
Once customers confirm the purchase, their card is charged and the goods will be on their way to them.
As easy as it sounds, the "amex-sync" service isn't compatible with all American Express cardholders.
Members, first and foremost, must have a public Twitter account, which means purchases will be viewed by their followers and would generate free publicity for the product.
American Express actually launched amex-sync last year, promoting product discounts through hashtags on social media sites.
This updated service could become an extra source of advertising revenue for Twitter because Twitter can now offer direct sales to its advertisers
Still, buying products this way isn't necessarily the future of shopping, since it's still only for select discount products.
