Editor's Note: Has Real Social Commerce Finally Arrived?

"Twitter is a tremendous platform for brands, retailers, politicians, musicians and others to engage fans, yet with more than 140 million users there's still no way to directly exchange goods and currency," said HootSuite CEO Ryan Holmes. "Chirpify provides a unique approach to fill this void by processing transactions without ever having to leave Twitter." The Oregon Angel Fund also contributed to this first round of financing for Chirpify. Some big brands like HP and PowerBar are betting on it too. They've started using Chirpify to sell directly to their Twitter followers.

Here's how it works: A retailer tweets about a new product and asks its followers to purchase by replying with the word 'buy' in their tweets. If a consumer wants to buy the merchandise and already has a Chirpify account, the money gets automatically deducted from their account. If they don't have an account, they're prompted to set one up along with a PayPal account if needed. Transactions are completed through direct messages to the consumer, with the seller sending the goods to the address listed on the user's Chirpify account.

It appears to be such an easy way for retailers to both promote their merchandise to a devoted audience (their followers) and make it easy for them to actually BUY the merchandise being talked about. What do you think about Chirpify? Check it out and let me know!