Social media platforms launch “buy now” buttons for US consumers

By Jim Bulling and Michelle Chasser

Twitter is changing the future of e-commerce by introducing a “buy now” button to users in the United States, making online shopping even more accessible to consumers. Twitter has joined forces with major e-commerce platforms Stripe, Shopify, Bigcommerce and Demandware to allow retailers to sell physical and digital goods and services directly through a simple 140-character tweet.

It is hoped that allowing customers to buy products directly from Twitter – and other mobile applications – will reduce the likelihood of a change of mind that consumers often experience in the period between viewing a product on social media and actually purchasing the product on the retailer’s website.

Google also recently announced that it would be introducing a “buy button” embedded into certain videos on YouTube, while Pinterest and Instagram started trialling “buy now” buttons in the US earlier this year.

Twitter’s “buy now” button will allow consumers to make a purchase directly from a tweet simply by pressing the buy button once and then a second button to confirm the purchase. First-time customers will also need to sign up through Twitter by providing their payment information and shipping address, which will then be stored for subsequent purchases. When a customer makes a purchase via Twitter, the retailer will directly handle the order just as it would if the order had been processed through its website. The service will be free to use for retailers who are customers of Twitter’s partner e-commerce platforms, which already take a percentage cut from retailers for each sale. Twitter has not yet stated whether it will take a percentage of the revenue from each purchase.

Depending on how many retailers jump on board the “buy now” button bandwagon, this could be yet another “next big thing” in mobile commerce.

Further information can be found here.