My posts may include paid links for which I earn a commission.
Since Amazon first announced the capability for customers to add products to their cart straight from Twitter, affiliate marketers have jumped to figure out how we can be involved. Here is what Amazon had to say about it in an email to affiliates (associates) this morning):
#AmazonCart makes it easy for your followers to shop directly from Twitter. Now when you tweet an Amazon.com product link with your Store ID, Twitter users, who have connected their accounts to Amazon, can add the item directly to their Carts by replying to your tweet with ‘#AmazonCart’. Any purchase that occurs as a result of a Cart add via #AmazonCart will be attributed to your Store ID and therefore eligible to earn advertising fees.
This is definitely interesting to me because it basically means we are going to be seeing a LOT more affiliates Tweeting their Amazon affiliate links. But it does raise an interesting question about FTC compliance. Nowhere in here does Amazon even hint about the fact that affiliates need to be disclosing these links as affiliate links per the .com Disclosures.
Here are some more basics from their new #AmazonCart Frequently Asked Questions:
- Your visitor has to have their Twitter account connected to Amazon. If they haven’t, they will receive a Tweet from Amazon telling them to connect it.
- The link_type you can use to track your metrics is “Genie”
- You can use bit.ly links
- Digital products are excluded
- Available in the U.S. only
I’d love to test this out but Amazon has blocked my account from generating commissions for anyone. If I can figure out a good way to test it fast, I will definitely update this post. (Care to help me?)
Update: Thanks to Wade Tonkin and Joe Sousa for testing this out. It worked for them to add to the cart. We’ll see if the commissions work.
Will this make you Tweet your Amazon links more often? Will you be adding a disclosure hashtag of some kind or just rolling the dice that you don’t get caught?
Hi Tricia,
Very informative Blog you have here, I especially found the piece regarding Ruslan Kogan very enlightening. I’ve been learning the art of AM since February this year, and slowly building my brand and traffic. I would be forever grateful if you could check out my site and pass on any constructive feedback you have. I realise this message will go straight to the next week answer pile after you’ve finished with your mothers messages, but anything you can pass on in is fine. I am operating from downunder in good old Oz, so good morning too you (9.50pm in the evening here, NYSE just about ready to open in your part of the world).
Thank you for your time in advance.
Guy – Maverick DIY
Hi, is that indefinite, US only, for the AmazonCart hashtag on Twitter? I live in Canada, and I am just beginning to figure out being an Amazon Associate. Thanks!
Hi Michelle,
It does look like right now it is only US and UK. This is from their FAQ:
“#AmazonCart is currently only available in the US (for Amazon.com links)and as #AmazonBasket in the UK (for Amazon.co.uk links).”
Hopefully they are in the process of expanding that!