Twitter is jumping into the e-commerce market.
The social website is testing a new “Buy” button that will allow users to purchase an item directly from a tweet, the company announced Monday. The option will be open to a small percentage of U.S. Users, and Twitter plans to expand the availability over time.
“This is an early step in our building functionality into Twitter to make shopping from mobile devices convenient and easy,” the company wrote on its blog. “Sellers will gain a new way to turn the direct relationship they build with their followers into sales.”
[Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEGk5LRumJM&w=560&h=315]
Twitter teamed-up with 28 brands, musicians and companies for the initial launch, including Burberry (BRBY), Home Depot (HD) and musician Pharrell. More artists and brands will be added in coming weeks.
Starting Monday, an entire purchase can be completed within the Twitter interface. After tapping the “Buy” button, a user will get additional product details and be able to enter shipping and payment information to complete the order.
In the wake of recent security concerns, such as the Home Depot and Target credit card breaches, the company confirmed that it has taken precautions to ensure that all payment and shipping information is encrypted and safely stored. User information will be saved to make future purchases seamless, though it can be manually deleted.