Twitter is beginning to test a new “Buy” button, which will let users purchase products straight from the service’s mobile apps. The button, which is currently only available for a number of U.S. users, is set to be utilised heavily by musicians and bands wanting to sell their music and their merchandise. Once the service rolls out to more users, music fans will have another way to support their favourite artists.
Twitter will be testing the new service using a number of artists, brands and non-profit organizations, who will offer products for purchase via Twitter in the coming weeks. Artists already signed up for the service include Death From Above 1979 (@dfa1979), Eminem (@Eminem), Megadeth (@Megadeth), Panic! At The Disco (@PanicAtTheDisco), Paramore (@paramore) and Soundgarden (@soundgarden). Visit Twitter’s official website for the entire list of artists involved.
“Users will get access to offers and merchandise they can’t get anywhere else and can act on them right in the Twitter apps for Android and iOS; sellers will gain a new way to turn the direct relationship they build with their followers into sales,” Twitter has said in an official press release.
It will no doubt be interesting to see if Twitter can revive its ailing Twitter Music service with this new initiative. The company has already partnered with social shopping site Fancy, music e-commerce site Musictoday, web-payments system Stripe and online store Gumroad as platforms for initial testing, but is promising to add more partners soon.
So, this is how it works. Twitter are hoping to have customer purchases completed in only a few taps. So after hitting the “Buy” button, users will see additional product information before being prompted to enter their shipping and payment information. Once those details are confirmed, your order is sent directly to the merchant responsible for the items you’ve purchased.
Payment and shipping information is stored securely for later use, but can be removed from your account at any time. With its move into the e-commerce sphere, Twitter has updated both its terms of service and its privacy policy. Watch a quick video Twitter produced to help explain the “Buy” button, below.
