After this recent announcement from Amex, it looks like Hashtags are about to turn into Cashtags.
Amex and Twitter have partnered on a program that allows cardholders to take advantage of special purchase offers by tweeting with a hashtag.
What is interesting is this brand new use of the Hashtag for e-commerce, and the other applications that are sure to follow. From coupon-ing and special deals a’la Amex, to reserving a pair of the latest shoes from Nike, it appears that Hashtags are becoming the shorthand of preference for many digital consumers.
This is not surprising given the rise in popularity of social shopping and deal sites like Groupon, and consumer’s increasing familiarity and comfort with online shopping and mobile applications, including text-to-purchase mechanisms.
Still, tweet-to-purchase may raise red flags for some consumers who worry about privacy and sharing their purchase history with the world at large. Not all consumers have bought into the notion of social shopping. Some of this is mitigated by the use of non public DMs (Direct Messages) and Amex’s tweet is followed up with a confirmation hashtag message and email, which seems prudent under the circumstances.
What other applications for e-commerce have you noticed in your Twitter stream? Any predictions for the future?
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