Twitter Stepping Into E-Commerce: Adding “Buy Now” Button Under Tweets

Twitter is being used as a real time emporium for sharing news, photos, video clips along with the 140 character snippets of thought so far. However, the synchronized social network is now a shopping cart too. After the hints of its e-commerce ambitions a month back, Twitter finally announces that it would openly testing a ‘Buy’ button embedded in the posts allowing users to buy products in just couple of clicks as reported by NYTimes.

The Twitter’s buying feature is initially launched for the mobile versions of Twitter and aimed to sell limited edition and time-sensitive products like T-shirts and event tickets. Twitter claims’ that it would eventually generate revenue flow for the social network, which is currently, relies on the virtual advertisement for all of its income. The launch of the Twitter Testing ‘Buy’ Button for Posts strengthens the world of mobile e-commerce. Likewise, Apple is also going to launch its phone-based payment system today as part of its newest update.

Other social networks together with the Pinterest see the e-commerce options as a potential moneymaker. All of them are continuously striving to make it easier for the potential buyers to directly get the product from the sites; however none of them have introduced this strategy on a wide-scale.

Nathan Hubbard, the ex-chief executive of Ticketmaster, who tied up with Twitter a year ago to escort its commerce efforts says that this test is initially being launched for the limited number of users in the United States and would incorporate additional items for sale from 19 entities including famous musician Rehanna and Eminem, nonprofit groups such as the Nature Conservancy and DonorsChoose, and the retailers Home Depot and Burberry.

Twitter’s Testing ‘Buy’ Button for Posts will not allow the buyers to send the message along with the hash tag publicly to buy the product being offered as reported by NYTimes. In its place, the buyer will click the ‘buy’ button inside the Twitter message. Once done, the service will prompt the buyer to enter credit card details along with the shipping information and press the confirm purchase button to complete the order.