Twitter’s new Shop Module has been unveiled. This module allows users to search, view, and shop for products from within the Twitter app. It is the platform’s latest investment in commerce capabilities – an area it says it is still exploring.
Twitter is the latest social network to launch a commerce function. It announced today that it is rollingout its new Shop Module. Just two weeks after announcing it will be sunsetting Fleets – the platform’s short-lived, Instagram Stories-like ephemeral media function – Twitter is tossing its proverbial hat into the increasingly competitive ring of of social commerce.
The Shop Module is now available in pilot form in the US market. This allows users to access a new space that allows businesses to display their products. If a user clicks on a Twitter profile of a business with the Shop Module enabled they can browse a collection of products. Click to learn more or to buy the product.
In a blog post released today, Bruce Falck, Twitter’s revenue lead, said that the company has been investing in the development of commerce features since 2015, when it introduced a ‘Buy Now’ button and product pages (the former of which was eventually killed in 2017). During the company’s Analyst Day event in February – in a session covering the platform’s revenue durability – Falck said: “We know people come to Twitter to interact with brands and discuss their favorite products. In fact, you may have even noticed some businesses already developing creative ways to enable sales on our platform.”
As recently as this spring, Twitter was testing new commerce tools including a ‘Shop’ button that appeared beneath certain organic tweets. The Shop Module appears to have been the final product.
Twitter is the latest platform to enable in-app purchase through the Shop Module. In May, Instagram – already a key player in the e-commerce space – expanded its commerce offerings with Drops, a new feature promoting brand collection launches.
To support its efforts, Twitter is also assembling a new Merchant Advisory Board, which will “consist of brands that have established themselves as best-in-class examples of merchants on Twitter,” per today’s announcement. The Board members will act as advisors to help all sizes of businesses succeed on Twitter.
The Shop Module is not only an attempt to build out the platform’s commerce capabilities, but will also add to Twitter’s efforts surrounding Professional Profiles, which launched this April. “With modular components for Professional Profiles, businesses across the globe – from small businesses and legacy brands to creator-founded businesses – will have access to customized profiles with features intended to help drive engagement and business outcomes,” Falck said in the blog post.
Today, a few US brands will be able to test the Shop Module pilot. Plus, Twitter itself will also be participating: the company says it’s dropping new merch that users can browse and purchase via the Shop Module. The feature is currently only available to US users who use Twitter in English and on iOS devices.
According to the company’s website, they are continuing to test different products and features to optimize their shopping capabilities and offer better opportunities for users to interact directly with brands.
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