On September 8th Twitter began bringing the rumors of the Buy button to fruition. Starting as a test for a small percentage of U.S. users, some tweets will feature the Twitter Buy button that will allow users to make a purchase directly from the tweet. Still an early step in the journey to create a fully functioning shopping feature, the Twitter Buy button is an awesome launching point for a concept that will change the way users are interacting with their favorite brands, artists and charities on the social media platform.
Twitter Buy Button: Big Change for Users and Advertisers
With just a few taps of the timeline the entire purchasing process, is said, to be quick and easy from Discovery to Payment. After clicking the Buy button, additional product details will be presented and you will be prompted to enter shipping and payment information. This information can be stored to make the reoccurring purchasing process quicker and easier or you can remove the information from your account after the purchase. With the recent wave of hackers taking down powerhouses like Target and Home Depot it will be interesting to see how Twitter handles this very sensitive information as it will be a major selling point of the new feature. An official Twitter blog about the new feature states,
“we built this test experience with your trust and security at the forefront. Your payment and shipping information is encrypted and safely stored after your first transaction… Your credit card is processed securely and won’t be shared with the seller without your permission.”
For more information about Twitter security policies check out the Support page. During this testing period the Twitter Buy button will be giving the feature option in upcoming weeks to brands, artists and charities the likes of:
- Brad Paisley (@bradpaisley)
- Burberry (@burberry)
- Global Citizen (@GlblCtzn)
- The Nature Conservancy (@nature_org)
- The Home Depot ((@HomeDepot)
- (RED) (@RED)
These are just a few of the accounts a part of the Twitter Buy button test for a more complete list check out the bottom of this official Twitter link.
Things to Think About for Future Marketers and Advertisers
As this test goes on, and more and more users are exploring this new feature, it will be interesting to see how different products will be marketed and advertised. The sheer amount and quality of information that will now be at the marketer’s finger tips will change mobile marketing. Marketers will have access to this information in real time about real consumers. In the words of Uncle been from Spider-Man, “With great power comes great responsibility.”
The questions don’t end there:
- What kind of exclusive Twitter offers will be offered?
- Where will the Twitter Buy button draw the line with products?
- Will marketers be able to go after the younger Twitter demographic?
- How will Twitter maintain security if the Twitter Buy button goes international?
- How will Twitter protect users from Spam offerings with the Buy feature?
http://www.thesocialclinic.com/twitter-launches-buy-button/
