If you've ever been on the fence about making an online purchase and needed some honest reviews, you may have consulted honest users of the Bird app. Still, Twitter is rarely considered an e-commerce hotspot (except for the occasional product placement under a viral tweet)—unlike Instagram, where shopping is now part of the main menu bar. Thanks to the recent launch of Twitter Shops, shopping on Twitter will no longer be the preserve of word-of-mouth reviews or businesses riding on viral tweets. Instead, this app might be your newest option for online shopping.
While window shopping might be hard to imagine on a text-heavy app, Twitter's interface certainly makes for the most consumer-friendly shopping experience. Just as many of us might look directly at a listing's reviews to find out the truth about a product, you've probably also searched for products on Twitter in the past to get real, unfiltered reviews from users. And, knowing how Twitter users tend to be outspoken, you're likely to see some very honest reviews if a product doesn't live up to its description.
"People are already talking about products on Twitter," product managers Justin Hoang and David Lie-Tjauw wrote in a Twitter blog post announcing the March 9 launch. "We want Twitter Shops to be a home for merchants on Twitter, where they can be intentional Use Twitter Shops effectively. “Cultivate product catalogs for your Twitter audience and build on product discussions that are already happening on our service, giving shoppers an action point where conversations can turn into purchases. "
Twitter Shops’ interface will optimize the ability to cross-reference products in this way. In one place, users can view a merchant's profile and responses, search for mentions of their products, and scroll through product listings with images and pricing. If you're ready to turn your next Twitter scroll into a shopping spree, here's how to shop on Twitter.
How to shop on Twitter
According to TechCrunch , Twitter Shops are currently only available to U.S. users on iOS devices that operate in English. In order to access the store feature, you need to visit the profile of one of the merchants Twitter has selected for its beta phase, which so far includes @Verizon, @ArdenCove, @LatinxInPower, @GayPrideApp and, according to Twitter, @AllIDoIsCookUS .
Under Followers in their bio, you should see a button that says "View Store." Clicking this button will open their Twitter Shop screen, where you can browse a gallery of up to 50 product listings - including product images, names and pricing. While Twitter Shops allows users to browse products, the app doesn't have a checkout process. Clicking on a product will take you to the merchant's website where you can choose to purchase the product.
If you're eligible for Twitter Shop but are having trouble viewing the feature, try updating your Twitter app and making sure you're viewing the profile of the merchant you selected. According to an initial statement from Twitter, the app plans to expand the feature to more providers in the future. The blog post describes Twitter Shops as "part of a larger effort to better support professionals of all kinds, from small businesses and creators to big brands, to do business on Twitter."
Now, your daily Twitter scroll can include the usual trending content as well as some hot offers.
