Social media company Twitter (TWTR) is expanding into e-commerce and online shopping.
Twitter says it is giving some businesses a new shopping feature to promote as many as 50 products in a new digital catalog the company has developed as part of its effort to expand and diversify its revenue sources.
The new tool, called “Twitter Shops,” will initially only be available to a limited number of retailers. Users who click on the shopping icon from a retailer’s Twitter page will be directed to a product catalog. Clicking on a product will then send the users off Twitter and to the retailer’s website to make an online purchase.
Twitter has made online shopping and e-commerce a priority in recent months as the company looks to expand into new businesses and generate new revenue sources to complement its digital advertising.
Last July, Twitter launched a shop module that enables retailers to pin as many as five products on their profile page, and, over the Christmas holidays, the company hosted its first live shopping video in conjunction with Walmart (WMT).
The San Francisco-based social media giant has tried shopping efforts in the past, including a “buy button” launched in 2014 that never caught on with users. In the past year, Twitter has looked for more ways to diversify and increase its revenue, and recently added a subscription product called “Twitter Blue.”
