Amazon is so far the only company that has discovered a new way to reach its customers through the use of text messages. This service, Text BuyIt, allows shoppers to look up product prices on Amazon using their cell phones.

Buyers use TextBuyIt by sending a text message to “AMAZON” (#262966). The message sent must contain the name of the product and/or a description of a UPC or ISBN number. In response, Amazon will send a response with purchase options for the items. Buyers have the ability to purchase the item and confirm the order directly from their phones. There is also a help function that buyers can access by texting “H” to Amazon.

According to a statement from Amazon’s Director of Mobile Payments, Howard Gefen: “…any Amazon.com customer can now use any mobile device to shop and purchase on Amazon.com, anytime, anywhere” by using of text messages. . This service seems to promise accessibility. People can contact the website directly from a cell phone.

But how useful is this way of shopping? How convenient is the TextBuyIt service? Information Week writer Thomas Claburn makes a very interesting point in his article “Amazon Introduces Text Buying With ‘TextBuyIt’.” Claburn discusses a counterpoint to Amazon’s new buy option. Many people are constantly connected to the Internet. “Urban technophiles who are rarely within a stone’s throw of an Internet-connected computer may not see the need for such a service” (Claburn). Many people have Internet capabilities connected directly to their cell phones. They can visit Amazon websites from their portable devices. Also, Claburn makes a good point that people are rarely far from their computers. Many people have laptops and computers in their homes; even more people have computers that they use in their offices every day. Even many vacation spots offer Internet access features. The only time during the day that people are away from their computers is when they are driving or traveling. Is the TextBuyIt plan really that practical?

There is very little time that people actually spend away from their computers. Yet Amazon is ready to note that one of the other times people are disconnected from the Web, besides driving, showering, or exercising, is to go shopping. As Calburn and Amazon note, “many of those with less frequent access to computers will no doubt appreciate the ability to search for and purchase items while on the go.” TextBuyIt is perfect for people who still shop in stores and who have also been actively resisting internet cell phone technology. If these consumers see a product that feels like an impulse buy, they may compare the price to items listed on Amazon.

The TextBuyIt service will work best for impulse purchases. Buyers see something. They want it. They buy it. End of story. With today’s technological fervor, many consumers often check the price of a product on a computer before making a trip to buy the product in a store. At the very least, these buyers will search the product online to find a local seller, even if they decide to leave home. The 2007 holiday shopping season demonstrated just how few people actually shop in stores.

It appears that TextBuyIt is a service that could potentially capture customers who prefer to actively shop in stores. If other companies catch on to this trend, will TextBuyIt turn all stores into a series of showrooms, or worse, into Ikea? Is the future of shopping a virtual reality where instead of department stores we will visit websites like Amazon or Overstock?