Twitter has started testing a new feature that allows companies to showcase products for sale on their profiles — up to 50 at a time, according to a Reuters report.
Dubbed Twitter Shops, the mobile-first feature aims to will have a beta test available for select U.S. businesses, along with being visible to those using the Twitter iPhone app, the company said in a statement. The latest initiative by the Social media giant is seen as an effort to gain a piece of the $45 billion U.S. market for so-called social commerce.Currently Facebook and Instagram are leaders in social commerce segment. Interested shoppers who view the product on Twitter will be redirected to the merchant’s website to check out.
Users who use Twitter from the US using an iPhone will be able to browse through products on Twitter Shops by clicking on the ‘View Shop’ button. Upon clicking, users will be redirected to a product catalog page. Clicking on a product will send the users to the retailer’s website, from where they can make a purchase. The feature is free to use and Twitter is not currently monetizing the new product while in testing, according to a report by Techcrunch.
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The experiment expands on a previous feature called Shop Module that Twitter began testing last year allowing brands to showcase up to five products at the top of their Twitter profiles. When people visit a profile with the Shop Module enabled, they can scroll through the carousel of products and tap through on a single product to learn more and purchase — seamlessly in an in-app browser, without having to leave Twitter.
