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Issue Date: September 23, 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.
Text shoppers are as likely to be men as women.
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The phrase "let your fingers do the walking" takes on a whole new meaning with the latest and hottest form of shopping: via texting. 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.
"It's the natural progression from toll-free order numbers and websites -- especially for girls, for whom their phone is their most important accessory,'' says Susan Schulz, who's the editor in chief of "CosmoGIRL!" Last summer, the magazine offered its readers the chance to text to win, buy or try everything from Sean John sunglasses to Gwen Stefani's Harajuku sneakers to Samsung cellphones. "When you are reading a magazine, you're not necessarily by your computer," Schulz says. "But if you're in the mall and there's a long line at the Gap, you can text the code, and the item is delivered to your house. It's scarily easy.''
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.
But the next frontier isn't far away: Text messaging has grown seven times faster for adults ages 45 to 64 than for teens. "Kids are teaching their parents,'' Kaplan says. "Plus, Blackberrys and Treos are training people with the habit of typing messages into their phone.''
-- Michele Meyer
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