Twitter adds new shopping features amid social e-commerce push

Twitter is expanding the number of products that merchants can display at the top of their profiles, as the platform works to become more shopper-friendly in an effort to help brands drive sales. The new feature, called Twitter Shops, will allow businesses to upload 50 shoppable products. Users will be able to click on the “View shop” button on a profile to scroll through the items. Customers can then click on a product to open an in-app browser to complete their purchase on the merchant's website. Twitter will not take any revenue cut from purchases completed through Shops. Twitter, like other social media platforms, is working to become more customer-friendly. The new Shops builds upon another feature Twitter announced back in July 2021, Shop Module, which allows merchants to display up to five products on their profile. In November of last year, Twitter also started testing livestream shopping with Walmart. GoPuff hosted a live shopping event on Twitter during the Super Bowl, and Samsung hosted one at it’s bi-annual product event. "We know that shoppers come to Twitter to interact with brands and have conversations about products. We also know that when people discover products through conversation, it sparks interest in learning more about those products. Our growing shopping ecosystem is designed to leverage the power of that shopping conversation and create a pathway for people to go from talking about and discovering products to browsing and purchasing them," said Bruce Falck, general manager, Goldbird, Twitter's revenue products. "We'll keep investing in Twitter Shopping because we believe in the power of the conversations that Twitter facilitates around products and its potential to drive sales." Platforms are working to make the funnel from scrolling to shopping easier, but convincing customers is an uphill battle. According to a December survey by Bizrate Insights, a market research company, 61.5% of U.S. social buyers said they choose to complete their last social commerce purchase on a retailer’s website, while 38.5% used the social platform’s checkout feature. And yet, Pinterest, TikTok, and Facebook have been steadily rolling out shopping features and partnerships. Twitter Shops are currently being tested by select partners in the U.S., including Verizon, Arden Cove, Latinx In Power, Gay Pride App, and All I Do Is Cook. For now, only users in the U.S. who use Twitter in English on an iPhone will be able to view and use Shops.

Twitter adds new shopping features amid social e-commerce push

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