Type 'buy' as a Facebook comment, buy some music
Chirpify is bringing "in-stream commerce by comment" to the social network with the help of country star Tim McGraw, who's selling a special edition album with the system.
McGraw's team used e-commerce platform Chirpify to encourage Facebook fans to type "buy" in the comments section of a post to instantly purchase a special edition of the star's "Two Lanes Of Freedom" album.
The effort marks the start of Chirpify's foray over to Facebook. Chirpify was founded in 2011 and began by turning tweets into instant transactions. The Portland-based company has since expanded to include support for selling on Instagram and is now working on perfecting buying through Facebook comments.
"Chirpify is enabling in-stream commerce by comment on Facebook for select top tier brands and musicians before a wider rollout and official launch," Chirpify Chief Executive Chris Teso told CNET.
Chirpify integrates with Facebook so that users of the social network need only type "buy" -- but only "buy," and nothing more -- in the comments section on a for-sale post to grab the item offered. The transaction is a one-step process if the person is already a Chirpify user.
Teso said that McGraw's album promotion "sold out" in less than 24 hours, though he did not quantify the number of total albums sold through Facebook or Twitter and Instagram, where the sale was also featured.
Though novel, Chirpify's in-stream approach to e-commerce will likely be a little too avant-garde for most social networkers, especially those who want to avoid the process of signing up for another service. Thankfully, Chirpify has the help of notable celebrities such as McGraw, Kat Von D, and Green Day to help it acclimate people to the idea of spending via tweet or Facebook comment.
(Via Digital Trends)