Over the past year, three social media giants – Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest – have been experimenting with “Buy” buttons on their websites as a new source of revenue from their large audiences.
Twitter began testing their Buy button in September with a small group of artists, brands, and non-profits, and they are now teaming up with Shopify, which currently has about 100,000 merchants using its software, and other e-commerce software companies to expand to a much wider range of businesses.
This button allows users to discover products and make purchases with just a few clicks. After clicking the Buy button, you’ll be presented with product details and a form to enter your shipping and payment information. Once your information is entered and confirmed, it’s sent to the merchant for delivery.
The website will take the necessary measures to safely encrypt and store your information, and they will not share your credit card information with the merchant without your permission. After your first purchase, you do not have to reenter your information every time you decide to make a purchase, unless you choose to delete it from your account, which you can do at any time.
Twitter explains the new feature in a blog post:
Some large accounts are making collections, or product pages, which Twitter launched in June, that allow you to see the products that they like. The website is currently trying to figure out ways to discover products for sale more easily, according to a source, so that you don’t have to wait for them to come across your timeline.
See What Your Twitter Profile Looked Like Over the Last 10 Years
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Donald Trump Is TIME's 2024 Person of the Year
- Why We Chose Trump as Person of the Year
- Is Intermittent Fasting Good or Bad for You?
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024
- The 20 Best Christmas TV Episodes
- Column: If Optimism Feels Ridiculous Now, Try Hope
- The Future of Climate Action Is Trade Policy
- Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision
Contact us at letters@time.com