Twitter partners Shopify to add 'Buy' button in tweets

Aug 12, 2015

Twitter Inc has been cautious in rolling out a ‘Buy’ button so far, but now it’s taking its efforts to a bigger level. The micro-blogging firm now wants to reach out to a maximum number of businesses and retailers of all sizes, and is working to integrate with Shopify, says a report from Re/code citing multiple sources.

Twitter to broaden its e-commerce reach

In order to reach out to those retailers, Twitter it is trying its best to integrate with several e-commerce software companies including Shopify. As many as 100,000 merchants based in the U.S. run their online stores with Shopify software. With the finalizing of the deal between Twitter and Shopify, it will be possible for these businesses to make use of the Shopify’s software and sell their goods via tweets, says the report.

Twitter latest efforts are shedding more light on the micro-blogging firm’s e-commerce plans. In June, Twitter released product pages, and is currently working on other updates to make it easier for buyers and seller to use the platform to discover products for sale.

Beginning last year, many tech firms including Twitter, Facebook Inc and Pinterest have been making efforts to add ‘Buy’ buttons to their platforms, in an effort to add more revenue streams. All of these social platforms have a large user base, which can be leveraged by users making purchases online using the platform.

Does Shopify guarantee a success?

Integrating directly with every business interested in using the platforms for selling goods is not possible for Twitter and other tech firms, therefore, they need help from companies like Shopify. Pinterest has partnered with both Shopify and Demandware. Both these companies are focused on online shopping for many of major brands and retailers including Michael’s and Cole Haan. Facebook, which is beta-testing its ‘Buy’ button, is working exclusively with Shopify merchants. Last year, when Twitter unveiled its ‘Buy’ button initiative, it was also working with a few of the small commerce software providers such as Fancy and Gumroad

All major platforms are now looking at working with Shopify, but there are still no guarantees of success. The Re/code article notes two major points are still not proven: whether people are willing to buy goods and services through social media platforms, and whether the merchants and the retailers are interested in selling their products on these platforms.

Source: ValueWalk