The txt2buy service will allow consumers to directly place orders from advertisements by sending a text message.
A team of mobile experts have come up with a way for retailers to securely transact orders by text message.
The service, called txt2buy, allows UK customers to purchase items from any advertisement, simply by sending a text message.
Retailers simply add a txt2buy call-to-action to their advertising and consumers can place an immediate order by sending the required keyword to the number displayed on the advert.
Following a simple one-time registration process with txt2buy — which the company says is similar to setting up a Paypal account — consumers can process the items of their choice in as little as 45 seconds, making it one of the quickest ways to close a sale.
txt2buy is already in early stage trials with some of the most established UK retail brands and is due to appear in mainstream advertising campaigns from as early as July 2011.
Gordon Ellis-Brown, marketing and brand director at txt2buy, says it will help retailers generate more sales by closing impulse purchases at the moment of engagement with the advertising exposure.
“The fact that the service works with current technology means that there is no upfront investment, expensive software or training required. As well as measuring offline marketing spend, txt2buy is able to capture that data and offer massive opportunities for up-selling and cross selling.”
Txt2buy claims that one of the biggest benefits of the service is that customers can use it without having an expensive smart phone or needing to download an application.
