Photos: Tweet Mirror comes to aid of UK shoppers

To use the Tweet Mirror, shoppers must first create an account with a personalised username and password. Photos taken using the camera attached to the mirror are then stored in the account.

From their personalised account, shoppers can choose which images they want to post direct to Twitter or Facebook.

To share the photos with their followers, shoppers have to retweet the twitpic from the Tweet Mirror Twitter account.

Tweets are composed via a touchscreen Qwerty keyboard.

Since twitpics are first sent to the Tweet Mirror account, every picture posted to Twitter can be viewed by anyone, not just your Twitter followers.

As if posing in front of your fellow shoppers wasn't embarrassing enough…

Nedap, the Dutch company behind Tweet Mirror, hopes retailers will use the mirror to take advantage of the growing popularity of social networks.

Each photo taken using the Tweet Mirror has the retailer's logo on it and retailers can choose to include a message with information about promotions or new products.

According to Nedap, the Tweet Mirror provides a bridge between shopping in stores and shopping online as users can also send the pictures to their email address for future reference.

The email sent from the Tweet Mirror can be customised by retailers to provide links to their website, meaning indecisive shoppers can choose to order online something they tried on in the store earlier - with a photo reminder of how the item looked.

Tweet Mirrors are located in stores across Europe, including outlets in Germany and Holland - where the Tweet Mirror was first introduced.

Wouter Kolk, CEO of Dutch fashion house WE Fashion, said in a statement: "Visitors really enjoy taking photos of themselves and asking for their friends' opinions. We know the mirror is very popular among our younger target groups in particular."

Although there are no permanent Tweet Mirrors in the UK, a Nedap spokesman told silicon.com the company is currently in talks with several big UK retailers.