The network is testing out online and mobile commerce plans for the future with this new option.
A tweet at Twitter could soon be much more than a short blip of communication or social media marketing, but it could also become a way for a consumer to be able to purchase what is being discussed.
The social network is now testing out a new e- and m-commerce opportunity with a “buy”button.
Though this is not being rolled out to the entire platform, just yet, the “buy” button is being tried out to see how it would work if consumers were able to purchase products and services directly through a tweet. In order to enhance their social media marketing capabilities with online and mobile commerce, Twitter is working with Stripe Inc., a payments company. This will allow a user’s credit card information to be saved so that they will be able to complete a purchase with nothing more needed than a couple of clicks, says the head of commerce at Twitter, Nathan Hubbard.
This new social media marketing feature is only considered to be a first step in a far broader strategy.
The strategy, as a whole, is meant to give Twitter users the opportunity to check out the updates that they follow and to shop at the same time. The service is being tested out to help to be able to broaden its sources of revenue, following pressure from investors with regards to the slow growth of its user base. The “buy” button will also be a demonstration of the impact that a tweet can have on a consumer’s decision to actually make a purchase. This could help to boost the use of social media advertising over this network by companies that will be able to better measure the return on investment of campaigns that use this channel.
Hubbard explained that this new feature helps to expand on consumer demand to be able to obtain the products that they want as soon as they decide that they want them. This trend helps to explain the considerable popularity of delivery services such as Amazon Fresh, eBay Now, and even the Uber ride sharing mobile app.
Top rival in the social media marketing world, Facebook, has already been testing out a “buy” button on some of its ads. So far, its successes to introduce online and mobile commerce options to its own platform have had limited successes.
