Amazon have found a new way to get people spending on the site – Amazon Birthday Gifts. The premise is simple, if you’re too lazy to go to the shops or haven’t a clue what to buy someone for their birthday simply log on to amazon.com/birthdaygift and send an Amazon voucher through Facebook.
Currently only on the US Amazon site, the birthday gift relies on Facebook Connect. Once you’ve sent a gift you can email all of your friends and suggest that they chip in and add to the gift topping up the Amazon.com voucher that the recipient will receive on their birthday.
Whilst personally I’m a bit old fashioned and would much prefer a little thought and a physical gift, I can see the attraction of Amazon Birthday Gifts for Facebook aficionados. All of the gift messages will be stored up and posted on the recipients Facebook Timeline on his or her birthday. If it’s someone you don’t really know then it could be the perfect way to send them a gift – even if it’s a token amount if enough friends chip in it’ll add up to a nice Amazon gift voucher.
Of course it does rely on Facebook users disclosing their personal information, even if Amazon Birthday Gifts were available in the UK I don’t trust Facebook privacy settings so haven’t added my date of birth to my profile. Today’s youngsters however have no such qualms and happily share the minutiae of their lives and for the Amazon Birthday Gifts would be perfect.
One Response
Thank you for the article Chris. I think it is a great way to give a gift to someone that you do not know very well, or maybe just met not too long ago, and show them that you are thinking of them on their birthday. It is also pretty cool that all of your friends can chip in and potentially make it a substantial gift. And of course since Amazon has a plethora of products to choose from, one is sure to find exactly what they wanted. Thanks again for the article!