Earlier this month, Twitter announced a partnership with another e-commerce platform, Stripe, as part of a test to allow people to buy products via the social network.
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“Our customers live on Twitter, so giving them an easy way to buy products that they discover in their Twitter feeds, without leaving the app, is a no-brainer”, said PacSun CEO Gary Schoenfeld. And, as The New York Times handily points out, a slew of top-tier social sites including Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram are now testing similar services.
The goal for all our commerce initiatives on Twitter is simple: make it as easy as possible for businesses to connect directly with, and sell to, customers on Twitter. Clients can use Shopify’s software to handle sales made through mobile phones, the Web, and other means.
Twitter on Wednesday began rolling out to a wider group of platforms and partners, although the effort is still limited to US merchants.
Companies are finding new ways of using social media to get their products to consumers. As it stands the “buy” button will only be visible to U.S. users, but it is a move in the right direction for Twitter as it trues to build revenue streams.
Tech Crunch notes the agreement with a major retailer like Best Buy shows Twitter is making a serious attempt at boosting its commerce services. “Now, Bigcommerce merchants can collapse the purchasing funnel, offering in-the-moment buying experiences right when and where potential customers are considering them”. “We are working with the team at Twitter to expand this to more countries”. “This now enables merchants of all sizes to be able to sell direct to consumers on Twitter”.
“Your payment and shipping information is encrypted and safely stored after your first transaction, so you can easily buy on Twitter in the future without having to re-enter all of your information”, according to a statement by the company.
“Twitter’s now open for business”, Hubbard said. “Now when an influencer tweets your product, it will drive product discovery and give shoppers a frictionless way to make their purchase”.
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The changes will only be evident to users in the USA for now, but Hubbard says the company is exploring global options as it gears up for the holidays.
