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Twitter expands shopping tools in the hopes someone, anyone will use them

Twitter Shops lets sellers add virtual storefronts to their profiles.

Twitter

Twitter is introducing a new shopping tool.

Image: Protocol

Last summer, Twitter launched a shopping tool that let users list a handful of products at the top of their profile. Now, the platform is expanding that shopping feature with a dedicated page where sellers can plug a larger array of products.

The feature is called Twitter Shops, and it allows sellers to link a virtual storefront to their profiles and list up to 50 products. If someone wants to buy a product off that page, customers will be routed to the company's website. A few companies plan to launch Twitter Shops today, including Verizon, Gay Pride Apparel, Arden Cove, the Latinx In Power podcast and All I Do Is Cook.

All I Do Is Cook is adding a shopping feature. Image: Twitter

The tool feels a bit like Pinterest's current shopping model, where people can favorite pins of products but can't actually buy the product on Pinterest. Instead, they're directed to the company's website. Letting people buy items right off the platform was a bust for Twitter, anyway: In 2017, Twitter introduced a "Buy" button that allowed people to make purchases directly from a tweet, but it dropped the tool a short time later.

Currently on Twitter profiles, users can add a link to a website at the top of their profile or use Twitter's Shopping Module — both of which require customers to make purchases on a separate site.

Twitter Shops marks yet another feature people can use to make money off its platform. Twitter most recently launched a Creator Dashboard where people can keep track of how much they're making. Prior to that, Twitter added monetization tools like Super Follows, Ticketed Spaces and a Tip Jar, which let creators earn money from a mix of paid events and their own followers.

Platforms including TikTok, Instagram and YouTube have all introduced their own shopping tools, too. But when it comes to ecommerce, the name of the game seems to be live shopping. Every social platform from Twitter to TikTok are getting into it after Chinese social media companies proved it can be successful.

Sarah Roach

Sarah (Sarahroach_) writes for Source Code at Protocol. She's based in Boston and can be reached at sroach@protocol.com

creator economylive shoppingshoppingtipscreator dashboardtwitter
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