September 24, 2007
Shopping by text
Cellphone messages are starting to replace toll-free calls and the Web as the easy way to buy clothing and more, according to an article in USA Weekend.
"Already common in Korea and Japan, where people shop by digits for everything from sodas to cars, text-buying is expected to take off here, too.
... That's why Urban Outfitters, which sells clothing, shoes and furnishings, launched UO TXT in June to alert regular customers to pre-sales and new items. "Glamour," "Lucky" and "Stuff" magazines have jumped in, too, the last with its September issue. "Guys will love it,'' predicts "Stuff" publisher John Lumpkin. "You can shop without getting off your couch. It's the least hassle.'
Interestingly enough, text shoppers are as likely to be men as women and usually are ages 25 to 34. "It's not the instant-message crowd,'' says Mark Kaplan, founder and chief marketing officer at ShopText, which, along with PayPal, offers the service. People ages 18 to 34 are four times more likely to carry a cellphone than cash, and the number of mobile phones globally is triple that of PCs."
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