Hashtags are quickly becoming more than a way to join or create a conversation or express a mood or behavior. They are becoming a means to identify a transaction with new product offerings using hashtags as the driver. It was announced recently that Groupe BPCE, France’s second largest bank, is working on a plan allowing pay-by-tweet by utilizing hashtags — specifically “#send” and “#TweetezPayez.” This has opened up a lot of speculation as far as privacy issues and potential exposure to hackers.
This isn’t the first attempt to create transactions with hashtags:
- Earlier this year Amazon launched the ability to add products to your cart with the hashtag #amazoncart:
- Starbucks works with twitter allowing cardholders to tweet a gift of coffee to someone “@tweetacoffee to @insertnamehere.”
- Comcast’s “See it” feature allows users to record TV shows on their DVR that they see mentioned in tweets.
What is the future of hashtag transactions? Will you be able to someday tweet to have pizza delivered, book a hotel room or buy those shoes in a size 8? It would appear there is no limit to number of type of ideas Twitter is working through. Wouldn’t you love to be a fly on the wall?
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