Spotted: Twitter 'Buy Now' Button

Ever see a product on Twitter that you'd be interested in purchasing? Soon, you might be able to buy that item right from the tweet it was featured in.

The micro-blogging company is testing a new "Buy now" button that apparently lets you purchase items featured in tweets without leaving the site. Re/code first spotted the buy now buttons in tweets from the shopping app Fancy. The buttons could only be seen on Twitter's mobile app, and were not working when Re/code tested them out.

"Tapping on them didn't do anything," the report notes. "But Re/code did speak to someone who said that tapping on the button earlier on Monday did lead to a checkout page opening up within the Twitter app. Re/code could not replicate that experience."

At PCMag, we spotted a "Shop now" button on a Home Depot ad (pictured) and a "Visit now" button on a Blue Apron ad via Twitter.com, both of which took us to their respective websites. But "Buy now" buttons have not yet appeared on mobile or the desktop site.

Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but as Re/code speculated, "it would be difficult, if not impossible, for Fancy to include 'Buy now' buttons in a tweet without Twitter's approval. So it's likely that in-tweet shopping is here, or coming soon."

To that end, Twitter on Monday announced it has purchased mobile advertising firm TapCommerce, which specializes in retargeting, for an undisclosed sum.

"Consumers are starting to use their phones not just to install and use apps, but for making purchases of both virtual and real-world products and services," Twitter said. "Advertisers spend aggressively to get new users, but re-activating existing or previous users can provide just as attractive a return on investment."

Twitter said the acquisition will allow it to offer mobile app marketers "more robust capabilities for app re-engagement, tools and managed service solutions for real-time programmatic buying, and better measurement capabilities." Mobile users, meanwhile, can expect "better and more relevant ads."

Twitter has experimented with e-commerce already. In May, it announced that users who reply to tweets with an Amazon commerce link in them using the hashtag #AmazonCart will have that item added to their Amazon shopping cart.

Last year, Amazon introduced a similar feature, which lets American Express card members purchase products via specific hashtags on Twitter.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade.

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes.

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app.

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth.

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light.

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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