With the e-commerce bandwagon only growing by the day, Twitter has looked to ensure that they are included in the caravan too.
After tantalizing hints about a new commerce option being in development during its Analyst Day presentation, the California-based microblogging platform has confirmed a biggie!
After spotting the new experiment’s screenshots as shared by avid social media consultant Matt Navarra, Twitter has affirmed that it’s testing out a new way to display tweets that link out to e-commerce product pages.
The original posts surfaced online when Qatar-based Yasser Masood first saw the experiments on an Android device (subsequently shared by Matt Navarra). The new e-commerce Twitter card, as can be seen here, includes a product title and code, along with the much vaunted ‘Shop’ button.
By listing the product price with the displayed info sourced from the relevant product page on the businesses’ site, it is à la products on Shopifiy Store.
The new Twitter card format is the microblogging site’s bold yet long overdue push to experiment around with the ‘Shop’ button and integrate product details directly into the tweet itself. Also including the product name, shop name, and product pricing.
There is some serious buck to be made with the ‘Shop’ feature, seeing how it could tie up nicely with virtually anything and everything a user sees on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook. The purchase made available to the user with just a few clicks!
Even though in the nascent stages of development, the new reveal is just a glimpse of what to expect from Twitter on the e-commerce side of things.
Twitter is aiming to double its DAU (Daily Active Users) and revenue by 2023. The introduction of new features that brings Twitter closer to eCommerce seems to be a part of the strategy the microblogging platform has laid out to achieve the goal set for itself.
With Twitter also confirming to outlets that the tweet is an example of a new treatment for “organic” tweets focused on e-commerce, the tweets could also go well as ads on the platform.
The format could also serve as a launchpad for Twitter’s larger vision to become a more creator-centric platform. Having recently laid out plans for a “Super Follow” subscription, the new product will allow Twitter users to follow creators in close cahoots for subscriber-only perks. A more shop-ripe tweet format could potentially also line up these creators to direct their fans to products and merchandise, boosting user engagement by leveraging a huge user base.
It should be noted that back in 2015 too, Twitter had tested the ‘Product and Place Collections‘ on some selected profiles. This enabled these select few users to promote products in a dedicated profile section, including a ‘Buy on Twitter’ option to facilitate in-stream shopping.
Revisiting the idea now, the concept of Twitter adapting itself in the veins of a discovery network for e-commerce products is one with an appeal. Not unsurprising, if you chart the growth in the social commerce sector in recent months, increased investment from Facebook into shopping features across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, growing demand for video-based shopping, has also led prominent brands like Walmart to dabble in more creative avenues to attract consumers.
For Twitter, it is laced with integrated tools for posting photos, videos, and even live video content. Adding a Twitter Card inclusive of pricing and the ‘Shop’ button, the sale upswing that could be achieved from people’s tweets is a mouth-watering prospect.
Twitter has been pulling out all stops to cement its position as one of the foremost social media platforms it seems. From introducing use-centric features to rivalling Clubhouse, the first of its many experiments on e-commerce can be expected to pay huge dividends.
Keep following this space for more updates.
