Amazon Adds Text Message Shopping: TextBuyIt

[engine]

Amazon TextBuyIt, which launched late Tuesday, lets people text the name of a product, its description or its UPC or ISBN to 262966 (that's "Amazon" on the keypad) from anywhere their cell phones work — including from inside physical stores.

Amazon Adds Text Message Shopping: TextBuyIt [news.yahoo.com]

[ByronM]

interesting.. i'm hoping you have to define some sort of pin prior to enabling the service.

I'm honestly not that big of a fan of SMS style purchases or shopping experiences.

[Kate82]

This is awesome. There are a million times I'm in a bookstore and wanting a book, but wanting Amazon prices. Horrible I know, but still. Now, if they want to really amaze me, let me add to my wishlist from my phone.

[WiseWebDude]

Just don't lose your phone somewhere...or someone could go on a shopping spree, LOL. It just seems too dangerous to me, going over open airwaves. Will never use that from anyone.

[maximillianos]

My bank does this for balance inquiries. I was hesitant at first, but it really is a handy feature. At any time I can get a text-reply of my balance in seconds...

I could see the benefit of integrating it with Amazon's online shop. Even to the point where Amazon could integrate the "TextBuyIt" links into their pages while you are browsing from a mobile phone device, etc.

[incrediBILL]

It just seems too dangerous to me, going over open airwaves. Will never use that from anyone.

IMO it's no more dangerous than using any other internet connection, especially since it uses VOICE for checkout, not plain text.

[physics]

You need to talk to a computer to buy anything:

New TextBuyIt customers will be prompted to enter the e-mail address associated with their existing Amazon account plus a shipping zip code. The service then calls them and walks through the checkout process using an automated voice system. Shoppers get confirmation by text message and e-mail.

It would be nice if they supported a 'one click' checkout, where you can choose to use one of your one click address/card combinations only. This would be faster, easier, and limit fraud since items could only be sent to you.

[yobaby]

I thought phone signals are easy to intercept and record.

I would assume if they can record voice signals they can as well record text messages then using a computer decode the text to numbers

Account information passwords everthing can be exposed through the use of this activity.

[edited by: lorax at 11:08 pm (utc) on April 2, 2008]
[edit reason] no URLs please [/edit]

[incrediBILL]

Maybe on an analog phone, but try recording from a digital cell or a spread spectrum wireless.

[kamikaze Optimizer]

It would be nice if they supported a 'one click' checkout, where you can choose to use one of your one click address/card combinations only. This would be faster, easier, and limit fraud since items could only be sent to you.

I agree.
I have not checked it out yet, but I can tell you that I would not be thrilled with punching my credit card info into my cell phone.

[vincevincevince]

Interestingly I used to use a service in the UK which did this. I have no idea what happened to them, but I had many books ordered and delivered through SMS. That was four years ago!

I recall looking for a new bestseller for a Christmas present in the city-center bookstores - they were all out of stock. Two text messages and it arrived on my doorstep the next day, at a lower price.

So yes - I think this is a great service and would use it through Amazon.

[SlyOldDog]

Very nice - Amazon free riding on the stores' shop spaces.

I always thought one day it would come to the point where the internet would drive shops to charge for walking in the door and seeing and touching "real life goods".

Or will the shops selling books and cheap electronics just go out of business?

[edited by: SlyOldDog at 4:39 pm (utc) on April 4, 2008]

[incrediBILL]

Or will the shops selling books and cheap electronics just go out of business?

The obvious outcome will be a backlash against using cell phones in stores and it's not that complicated to jam the call signals.

[DryFire]

I wonder when they will start adding barcode scanners to phones… On a side note, do they use something like ssl to encrypt the text message? I’m always amazed when a customer calls in using a wireless phone, to give their credit card number to a complete stranger / minimum wage employee because they think that it is somehow more secure than paying using google checkout or paypal.