Amazon Launches Shopping via Twitter

Online retailer Amazon has announced a new partnership with Twitter that allows shoppers to add items to their shopping basket just by using a hashtag to tweets about Amazon products.

When users see an item they like referenced on Twitter with an Amazon page link, including #AmazonBasket in the UK and #AmazonCart in the US, in a reply to the tweet will automatically add the item to their shopping basket on the online retailer’s site.

A video posted to the Amazon YouTube page said: “Once your account is enabled, you can add millions of Amazon products to your cart without leaving your Twitter feed. No more switching apps, typing out passwords or trying to remember items you saw on Twitter. Save it to your cart now and check it out later when it’s more convenient for you.”

The move is the latest in a series of new projects introduced by the US-based company, who also recently launched a new grocery service that enables shoppers to purchase bulk items of food and have them delivered by the site.

The company has also just launched their own TV streaming set-top box, designed to compete with similar hardware available from Apple and Google that allows users to send video on their mobile device to a TV over WiFi.

The box, known as Amazon Fire TV, can also be used as a games console, with titles available to download from the Amazon website. The company are also experimenting with using drones to deliver parcels to customers.

Twitter has more than 15 million active users in the UK, and the social network is making greater efforts to expand its user base after announcing disappointing first quarter financial results last week, including a net loss of £78m. Experts have suggested that because the number of new users taking to Twitter is slowing, this could begin to hurt the company’s revenues.

The social network have since had more market woes, where early trading this morning in the US saw the company’s share price fall 10% as the stock lock-up period ended; meaning that shares owned by staff and early investors became eligible for sale for the first time.

Credit: Press Association