According to reports from TechCrunch, Twitter has launched a beta program in the US that aims to test the e-commerce capabilities of its platform.
The company introduces a new “Shop Module” that gives brands, companies, and other retailers the ability to display their products to Twitter users directly on their company profile. Users will then be able to scroll through a set of product images on the form and click on a product they wish to purchase. This company website opens within the Twitter app itself, where the customer can learn more about the product in question and choose to make a purchase.
The Shopping module will appear in a new dedicated space above the supported Twitter profile, which US users can view in English on iOS devices.
The company told TechCrunch that only companies with a professional profile will be able to use the feature for now.
Job profiles, which began testing in April, give businesses, nonprofits, publishers, and creators the ability to view specific information about their business directly on their profile, including data like their address, phone number, business hours, and more. Essentially, Twitter is equivalent to a Facebook business page.
At launch, the new store unit was made available only to a small group of test-testers. In addition to the game store GameStop and travel brand ArdenCove, Twitter says there will only be about 10 other brands that will have access to the new feature.
At the moment, Twitter does not offer a way for companies interested in signing up for the beta program because the company is only in the early stages of testing this feature.
Twitter says it will also work directly with businesses to better understand their needs by creating a new advisory board for merchants, which will consist of “best-in-class examples” for merchants on Twitter.
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