Twitter helps Dell rake in sales | U.S. | Reuters - 0 views
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Social media company Twitter is struggling to craft a profitable business model, but the Web-based service has helped Dell Inc chalk up millions of dollars in sales.
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Dell said on Thursday it has raked in more than $3 million from Twitter followers who clicked through its posts to its Web sites to make purchases.
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Three million in sales over two years is a pittance for Dell, ranked by IDC as the world's second-largest PC maker in the first quarter of 2009. Dell posted $12.3 billion of revenue in the first quarter of this year, alone.
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Dell said it posts 6 to 10 times a week to its DellOutlet account, which is where the majority of Twitter-based sales have come from. Stephanie Nelson, who manages the account, said almost every post includes a coupon or a link to a sale, and about half of the posts are Twitter-exclusive deals.
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Gartner analyst Allen Weiner said such financial success could provide a model for Twitter, itself, to make money.
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Twitter does not charge companies for such benefits, but does not rule out doing so in the future.
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Other non-media companies ranked in the Top 100 include Whole Foods Market Inc, Woot.com, Zappos.com, JetBlue Airways Corp.
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Dell's business model has high familiarity with twitter. But when twitter starts charging such PR activity, twitter will be ruined. Anyway, twitter is broaden the method of e-comers, which will change the corporate direct marketing. For those who are sick of spamming will give up using e-mail and start using twitter.
