We’ve seen already how much help Twitter may be when it comes to online shopping:

Twitter is a great way to research the seller’s reputation, find new deals and ask for unbiased opinion. Besides, you can reach plenty of brands providing alternative customer support on Twitter.

And here are 5 more Twitter-based tools that will help you with daily shopping: 5 fun Twitter bots:

1. Buy it Later:

Buy it Later is the Twitter bot that The bot requires a FireFox addon to work properly. So here how it works:

• Install the FireFox addon;
• Follow BuyItLater on Twitter;
• Go to any item page on Amazon and click “Buy later” button;
• The tool then checks Amazon for updates every minute;
• If the item price and/or availability changes, the bot alerts you via Twitter DM or email.

2. TinyMassive

TinyMassive is a nice Twitter bot that helps you quickly find out what’s the lowers price for the given product. Here’s it how it works:

• Tweet your product search to @tinymassive
• The bot will reply with the Tweet containing: the minimum price found and the link to the product search results.

3. Track This

Track this is the fun Twitter bot that will track your online purchases while they are being delivered to you:

• Register at the site and follow the bot;
• Enter a tracking number and a nickname for a package;
• The site will continually monitor the package and each time the package changes location you’ll be getting a Twitter DM.

4. MindMeTo

MindMeTo is a simple Twitter reminder that will remind you of your planned purchases:

• Follow mindmeto on Twitter and wait for the bot to follow you back.
• @ or DM the bot what you want to remember to buy (e.g. d mindmeto buy some milk tomorrow);
• At the scheduled time, the bot will send you a private direct message to “buy some milk”.

5. MultiMap

MultiMap twitter bot helps you find any store nearby. Here’s how it works:

• Add the bot to friends;
• Send it the DM containing your current location + the shopping facility, e.g. Closest shopping to Tampa, FL (the syntax is described here).

Twitter can be an awesome shopping tool and one of the best things about that more and more companies provide an alternative customer support via Twitter.

This means, you can reach them within your favorite network and also discuss your issues in public.

So let’s see who you can find on Twitter so far (if you know any more companies, please comment, I will be constantly updating this post).

Cars:

TeslaMotors is another auto company to maintain an active Twitter stream.

Renault updates Renault_Live Twitter account (in French).

HarleyDavidson tweets company news and updates.

General Motors’s corporate bloggers “Robyn, Lesley, Wendy, Nuria, and sometimes Adam” tweet to update the world of company news.

FordCustService, updated by Shawn Lollie marketing specialist at Ford, this Tweeterfeed answers customer’s concerns and make it clear they value every customer. In reality, it is more like a support group:

Finance and Business:

HRBlock is the Twitter account by Tax company and software provider called H&R Block. Their Twitter profile is set to answer customers’ questions as well as share business news.

Kelly from Quicken Loans will answer any of your mortgage questions.

State Farm insurance company “for auto, life, health, home owners insurance and more” can be reached on Twitter for any finance-related questions.

Allstate is another well-known insurance company to be found on Twitter.

Hoovers.com tweets to inform followers of “the top business information provider in the world, represented on Twitter by blogger Tim Walker and communications chief Adam Hanin”.

Computers, Electronics and Internet:

Dell maintains multiple official Twitter profiles. None of them is officially designed to help customers but the good news is that it has multiple international accounts, so you can ping them depending on what country you are in.

ComcastCares is the most responsive Twitter customer support I am aware of. It has a person behind it who will answer your questions quickly and actually help solve your problem.

Embarq is another Internet service to be found on Twitter.

Plus.net is yet another Internet service provider streaming company updates via Twitter.

OfficeLiveGirl and OfficeLiveGal provide Twitter customer support for Microsoft Office Live.

Network Solutions tweet to build relationships with Twitter crowd and share company news.

Kodak has their Chief Blogger tweet their news and updates.

ThinkGeek is the great place to buy a geeky device or apparel, besides that they have an awesome Twitter stream to follow.

SanDisk, flash memory cards, mp3 players, USB drives manufacturer, for customer interaction.

Overstock can be followed on Twitter here.

Phones

Guy1067 is the name for Twitter account meant to help Car phone Warehouse’s customers as well as increase their engagement.

Canada’s wireless phone company TELUS Mobility can be found on Twitter for company news and updates.

Traveling and Transportation

JetBlue, a well-known airline ticket provider, has one of the most popular Twitter profiles I know.

British Airways maintain a pretty much active Twitter profile, addressing customers and also answering questions.

Southwest Airlines is another airlines company to be reached on Twitter.

Virgin Airlines rely on Twitter not only as a customer service tool for answering questions, but they truly build a rapport with their audience and encourage genuine interaction.

Going for a cruise? Catch @CarnivalCruise on Twitter to lean their offers and rates.

(Fast) Food

Brad from Starbucks posts personal Tweets as well talks to clients.

GottaWannaNeeda is a fun profile by Bojangles’ “Famous Chicken ‘n Biscuits”.

Popeyes Chicken and Biscuits tweets new offers and news.

SeamlessWeb, a place to order food online, streams company news and answers customers’ questions.

FriendofBigRock is the Twitter community for those who like Big Rock beer.

Whole Foods tweet organic news fresh and advice and can also be reached by customers.

Plan to have a big, delicious, premium-quality burger? Check out Carl’s Jr. on Twitter.

Hardee’s is another place to have a burger over Twitter.

Dunkin’ Donuts can be caught on Twitter any time. They have enjoyable Twitter stream, so be sure to check them out!

Bigelow Tea is a tea company with Twitter stream updated by Justin and Linda.

Clothes and Fashion

Best Buy CMO can be reached via Twitter to ask a question.

Zappos tweets via their CEO that goes by name “Tony”. The awesome thing about this account is that they follow back almost everyone, this means you can DM them privately.

Nordstrom is another fashion specialty retailer to be found on Twitter.

Pacsun clothing provider uses Twitter to unite its customers’ community.

Avelle is the retailer of designer handbags. Their Executive Vice President tweets company news and helps customers.

KEEN, shoes and bags manufacturer, leverage Twitter for customer service and community building.

Onlineshoes.com supports customers via Twitter here.

T.J. Maxx Stores welcome their customers’ ideas on Twitter.

Threadless, graphic T-shirts manufacturer, use Twitter to update followers of company news.

BustedTees is another manufacturer of T-shirts to be found on Twitter.

Jewelry store Xenabeauty can be found on Twitter here.

Delight.com maintains quite an active Twitter account.

Toys

Toys”R”Us is a globally recognized toys retailer tweeting about company special offers and deals.

Home

HomeDepot’s spokesman tweets to provide “another way for customers to ask about their projects and our stores”.

Etsy, an online marketplace for home-made products, also has the corporate Twitter profile.

Books

Borders.com Twitter profile is updated by “Matt.”

Health

GHChealth maintain rather an active and popular Twitter profile.

Polar Electro tweets via rep Chris.

Post image by foxypar4

Twitter is the hugest phenomenon of today’s Internet. Connecting to people real-time (even if they are offline), getting instant updates from friends, being up-to-date with most recent news – these are just few advantages of the tool. Another possibility to make the most of Twitter is to use it for shopping.

Ask your friends their opinion on the product you plan to buy and you will get lots of Tweets immediately from people you trust. But Twitter shopping benefits are not limited to only that! Check out the following tips on using Twitter for shopping:

Use Twitter Search

Twitter offers an advanced search platform that you can use to find out what real people say about the retailer you are considering or a product you want to buy. Consider these quick tips on what operators you can use to get properly prepared for your purchase.

• Do you want to find negative reviews by the unsatisfied customer? Try to search Twitter for the retailer’s name and include to your search – [retailer's name ] search will return tweets by displeased people criticizing some news and products.

Example: [Amazon ]

• Check what reputable sources say about the store or product you are considering. Try to search for the store name and add from:twitter_username to restrict search results to what the Twitter user was saying.

Example: [Amazon from:mashable] to search for Amazon-related news discussed by Mashable.com

• Look for product or retailer mentions near you: use near:city_name advanced operator.

Example: [Nokia near:seattle]

• Search for product- or retailer-related questions: add ? to your search query.

Example: [Apple iPhone ?]

Create Your Twitter Group

TwitterGroups is a Twitter application that allows you to create your own group of interest; you can then promote it on Twitter and invite friends. Create a group specifically to exchange shopping lists and reviews with your online friends. You can also join other shopping-related groups; here are a few to consider:

• Amazon Explorers Club;
• eBay;
• Coupon Freaks.

Find Your Retailer on Twitter

Do you know that numerous online retailers are starting to use Twitter for customer service? Try to find the retailer you plan to buy from and try to:

• Ask him a public question (see how quick he will be to respond);
• See what others ask him – use this advanced search command: [@retailer_name] to find all Tweets addressed to him.

A few huge businesses that are on Twitter already:

• Dell Computers;
• ComCast;
• Samsung;
• Kodak;
• Ford.

You can also try to get the retailers find you! Most businesses monitor Twitter for their names mentions. Try to tweet using the retailer’s brand name and in some time you may hear from him!

So, no matter how much you might be tired of Twitter-related articles and guides, there is no denying the fact that Twitter is an awesome tool with unlimited yet-to-be-explored spheres of usage. So don’t forget to use it before buying anything!