New shopping via texting game will make buying things easier for you

“I’LL TEXT YOU,” said the salesman at the Celine store in the Woodbury Commons Outlet Mall in Central Valley, N.Y., this September after I inquired about incoming merchandise. And text he did, whenever he had insider information about new arrivals or markdowns. In addition to my phone number, he had my credit card info, so if he sent a photo of something I liked—such as a pair of blue plaid pants he pinged me recently—I could buy it simply by typing “Yes!” on my phone.
 
I suspected that the shopping-via-text thing was bigger than just one overeager salesperson, and my mother-in-law soon confirmed it, whipping out her phone at dinner to show me a particularly unfindable Louis Vuitton bag she’d coveted. A saleswoman she’d befriended in Paris had just texted her a photo to announce its arrival.

 
The more I’ve talked to retail industry people, the more it seems that every salesperson, brand and tech disrupter in fashion is getting into the texting game. Some impatient shoppers, however, are frustrated by the arguably simple process of logging in to a website or app from their phone. Enter: the notably simpler text transaction, whether via a personal relationship with a salesclerk or one of the new text-shopping services. Here’s a rundown.
 

Jetblack, a members-only, $50-a-month concierge service launched by Walmart ’s tech incubator Store No. 8 in June, will deliver anything from Advil to Chanel ballet flats the same or next day following a text request from users (it is currently limited to the New York metro area but has plans to expand).

 
Members keep their payment information on file with Jetblack, so there’s no pesky password or credit card info to type. You just text a description or photo of what you want (barring perishables, alcohol and prescriptions), and their wizards source it from nearly any vendor.
 
If you’ve ever clicked on a sponsored Instagram link and found yourself perusing earrings on an e-comm site, you know the app is a prime source of shopping inspiration. Clever companies are now fusing Instagram’s eye candy with the immediacy of text shopping.
 
WhatsApp, the global texting service, has been a boon for London-based jewellery designer Jessica McCormack, who’s found that adding her WhatsApp number to Instagram post moves product, including a pair of earrings worth over a million pounds. “It’s amazing how many people prefer that mode of communication,” she said. Clients can text or call with their credit card information.

 
Threads Styling, launched in 2009, features appealingly styled designer fashion in its Instagram Stories and Snapchat channels that can be shopped via WeChat , WhatsApp, iMessage or Facebook Messenger. You text with a personal shopper who can answer questions on size and fit, and help you buy the item through a secure form, bypassing the hassle of logging into a site and entering your email multiple times.
 
To compete in our digital-shopping world, associates at bricks-and-mortar stores are now sharing their cell numbers with clients for easy texting about promotions and other individualized customer service. You can hand over your credit card in person to avoid texting your personal information wantonly. While Jetblack and Threads have methods of securing data similar to an e-comm site, texting your personal details directly is ill-advised.

 
New York entrepreneur Josh Udashkin, 35, texts with salespeople at a few stores including Prada. The staff there know his taste and body type, and send him regular updates. “I do appreciate the relationship, that they will probably show me things that were not on every website and everywhere else,” he said.
 
Others, however, find all this texting invasive. New Jerseyite Terri Rosen, 60, recently gave her phone number to an associate at Bloomingdale’s. “He is still texting me all the time. And I’m not texting him at all. He texts me ‘Happy Thanksgiving. Is there anything you need for your holidays?’” she recounted. “The interesting part is, when I go back, he has no idea who I am.”

 
Source: The Wall Street Journal