Twitter is experimenting with selling products directly on its network

Yesterday, Twitter launched a tool that allows brands to sell products directly on the network, a method previously adopted by other social networks as part of its diversification strategy.

The US platform seeks to strike a balance between the need for income and the risk of broadcasting too many ads.

So it is testing new formats and paid subscriptions, while the number of daily users that can be a source of income for the network, that is, those who receive ads through it, reached 206 million at the end of June.

According to the beta version launched by Twitter, advertisers will be able to add a so-called "ShopModel" ("shop module") to their profile, allowing them to browse through merchandise without having to exit the application to see their features and even to buy them.

"We believe in the power of the conversations that Twitter facilitates about products," the San Francisco-based group said in a statement.

The tool will be available initially for a few US brands, in English and on Apple devices.

Twitter's move comes after Facebook and other social networks have a large presence in this field, further enhanced by the boom of e-commerce during the Covid-19 pandemic.

On Instagram, for example, it is sometimes possible to click directly on clothes worn by brands' models or items that appear in influencers' photos to purchase them directly through the app.

Twitter had considered incorporating consumer-related options into its service five years ago, but has focused on other features, according to the network's product officer, Bruce Falk.

"We are back and devoting more energy to testing the potential of shopping on Twitter," Falk said in a statement yesterday.