Comic book retailer takes novel digital commerce approach

A text-based “store” may sound like a flight of fancy, but Kaboom Chat is graphically bringing it to life.



The Dallas-based specialty comic book retailer is leveraging the Samus Chat text-based commerce app to offer a mobile store and informational platform. Kaboom Chat asks customers some discovery questions when they first register, which then enables the retailer to auto-populate the SMS-based store when they visit via mobile phone.



The retailer also delivers customers time-sensitive, targeted breaking news texts about new releases and other comic book-related occurrences. In addition, customers can engage human sales representatives via live chat. Purchases can be made via secure SMS texts. Currently, Kaboom Chat is free, but the retailer says it may offer subscription-based levels of increased service in the future.



Considering how important texting is becoming as a means of digital communication, text-based retailing is a natural development. Comic books, whose fans skew male and younger (although Kaboom Chat offers specific outreach to female aficionados), are a good fit for an early product in this developing area of digital commerce. It may be a stretch to call Kaboom Chat “heroic,” but the retailer is definitely a pioneer.