Twitter Ecommerce: What Brands Need to Know

People don’t just Google things they want to buy. They find answers through social media trends, DM conversations, and suggestions from their network. The shopping tide is turning on social commerce, which is predicted to grow three times faster than traditional commerce between now and 2025.

But where does Twitter fit into the social commerce landscape and who is buying on Twitter?

To answer that, we took a look at Twitter’s latest e-commerce features and looked at the brands that are mastering them. We also explain how you can leverage these features to sell on Twitter and best practices to get you started.

This guide will cover:

Twitter Ecommerce Features You Should Know

Twitter has introduced four e-commerce features: Stores, Spotlights, Shopping Live AND Product points.

1. Shop on Twitter

Merchants can use Twitter Stores to display up to 50 products from their online stores. A Twitter Store is accessible via a “View Store” button on your profile. This free, mobile-first feature aims to convert brand enthusiasts into buyers on the platform.

However, the payment option for these stores is not hosted on Twitter. The purchase link will take customers to your website or app, where they will fill in their details to complete their purchase.

2. Shop Spotlight

of Shop Spotlight is a carousel on your profile that features five products in your Twitter Store. Shoppers can swipe through the carousel and tap products to learn more.

Shop Spotlight is part of Twitter’s larger effort around professional profiles, expanding the dedicated space for businesses and creators with e-commerce features that drive engagement and revenue.

3. Shopping Live

Host a Shopping Live broadcast for followers to buy together – like an infomercial. Engagement and purchase options appear below the video stream, which include:

• A banner and “Shop” tab on the event page featuring all products from the broadcast.
• The Latest tab where new products appear as they go live.
• A live Tweet discussion about the product(s) taking place under the live stream.

4. Product decline

Product drop is to shopping on Twitter like trailers are to movies. Give potential customers a sneak peek of the products and build anticipation before they officially launch. You can also track user profiles that engage with the drop to inform future advertising and marketing initiatives. Early brands testing this feature include Dior, The Home Depot and Union Los Angeles.

Product launch tweets appear as regular tweets in a user’s feed. Users can also set a product reminder, notifying them when it goes on sale.

This Twitter shopping feature is currently limited to iOS in the US.

Now that we’ve covered Twitter’s e-commerce features, let’s look at ways you can use them to expand your brand’s presence and generate revenue on the platform.

Examples of Twitter shopping in action

Whatever your product or service, direct-to-consumer brands can benefit from integrating their creative content streams — videos, live streams, or carousels — with Twitter’s e-commerce features. Whether you’re a well-known brand or just starting out, the platform’s e-commerce features make it easy to get started.

Let’s look at the brands that are selling fast on Twitter:

Trixie Cosmetics

Founded by drag start Trixi Mattel, Trixie Cosmetics sells premium cosmetics in vibrant and whimsical packaging.

Trixie’s Twitter strategy is distinct through the use of scavenger hunts, quizzes and behind-the-scenes content to drive engagement while showcasing their products. To get their audience to actually buy, Trixie uses Shop Spotlights to launch new collections and create ads around them through Tweets.

By leveraging Twitter’s full feature set, Trixie is able to create a seamless brand and shopping experience, building brand credibility and authenticity while promoting products. Look at your current Twitter strategy and identify ways to expand it with Twitter’s eCommerce tools.

Use Live Buys to host influencer tutorials or share behind-the-scenes content like Trixie’s warehouse tours and customer spotlights.

Twitter Spotlights can double as pop-up sales by introducing limited edition products, seasonal specials or influencer collaborations to spark excitement and give a special reason to buy now.

Cove of Arden

Arden Cove is a brand that sells theft-resistant bags and travel accessories—empowering women to travel without the fear of being pickpocketed.

Their consistent posting schedule, coupled with proactive customer engagement, allowed them to seamlessly integrate Twitter Stores. With special discounts available through their Twitter Store, customers can enjoy a unique in-app shopping experience. Plus, their live streams amplify special products and give customers the opportunity to interact directly with the brand.

Cove of Arden creates compelling content that keeps their audience engaged throughout the buying journey, from inspiration and aspiration to conversion. Focus on us converting your aspirational Twitter content to direct sales. Drive interest with live streams showcasing your products or Q&As with experts, then build excitement with Product Points of coveted items. Previews, reminders and limited-time offers will encourage conversion.

All I do is cook

This brand sells ready-to-eat African food products, using Twitter to inspire their audience with recipes that incorporate their ingredients. All I Do is Cook takes it a step further by selling their recipe ingredients directly to customers through Twitter’s shopping features.

Their structured Twitter store is segmented into categories—such as Snacks, Sides, and Stews and Soups—to help shoppers navigate products effectively.

Their strategy features a guided approach that leads customers to their products based on interests, reducing friction on the path to conversion. Turning their Twitter Store into more than just a store, but a shopping guide.

Organize your products to make everything easy to find, then embed them into other Twitter features so your customers can quickly find the latest products.

Now that we’ve seen how brands are creatively strategizing for e-commerce on Twitter, the next question is: How do you get started?

4 tips to get started with eCommerce on Twitter

Before you dive into your first sale, here are a few things to keep in mind when building your Twitter eCommerce strategy:

1. Start small

Don’t feel the need to include all of these features at once. Identify which would make the most sense for your audience and brand. Think about who follows you on the platform and what they would be most interested in buying. Then start offering products that match those interests.

If you have more than 50 products to sell, Twitter Shops can double as “Bestseller” or “Latest Pieces” lists for popular, fast-selling items.

Twitter Spotlight is great for showcasing signature products that are integral to your brand identity, such as the Louis Vuitton trunk or MAC Cosmetics’ Ruby Woo lipstick.

2. Collaborate with influencers

Twitter has its own set of influencers that their communities trust. Find influencers who resonate with your values ​​and partner with them to host live shopping events or co-tweet Product Drops to expose your brand to a larger audience.

3. Integrate advertising

Twitter’s algorithm places ads where it makes the most sense in a feed — among current conversations about products. That’s why Product Drops can be natively integrated with Twitter’s conversational ads. Remember to create your ads and Product Drop content in the same brand style for a consistent experience.

4. Align with trends

Twitter is one of the epicenters of conversations about the latest news and trends, and users are also not afraid to share their opinions about brands and products on the platform. Listening to these conversations can reveal content and promotional opportunities relevant to your target customers and products. Leverage Twitter listening data to discover relevant trends and weave them into your Product Failure content, live streams, and more.

Embrace eCommerce on Twitter

E-commerce on Twitter is not limited to brands that are already popular on the platform. These features can help brands of all sizes start selling directly on the platform. Find your niche and feed your community with the content and products they want and need.

To learn more about expanding your e-commerce strategy on Twitter and beyond, read our 2022 Social Shopping Data Report.