Will an advertisement or offer on a retailer’s Twitter page constitute a valid offer?

Facebook and Twitter have changed the way we communicate. Initially these sites were created as a social network—a way to keep in touch. Now, that concept has been expanded to include the area of sales. Retailers now have Facebook pages advertising merchandise and coupons to visitors of the site. Who would have thought that a social network—a way to keep in touch with friends and family—would spur retailers to use it as a way to sell merchandise. The question for us is how will this affect how consumers do business and how the law, such as the Uniform Commercial Code, applies to this type of sales and marketing. Some retailers even have a Twitter page. Will an advertisement or offer on a retailer’s Twitter page constitute a valid offer? This remains to be seen. What is important to recognize is that not only has the way we communicate with each other changed but how we buy and sell merchandise has changed signifi cantly as well. The law is usually slow to catch up to technological advances and trends. But, now the Internet has opened up another method “creating sales” contracts with the public. Stay tuned to the ever-changing landscape of the Internet and how it affects how we do business and create contracts.