Twitter is looking into new ways to make money and attract more users. Newly leaked mock ups of Twitter eCommerce indicate that the company could be heading in that direction.
For months rumors have been circulating that Twitter will take the plunge into eCommerce, allowing users to buy third-party goods and services directly from their news feed. Recently, new reports and leaks have appeared that suggest that Twitter's plans for eCommerce are more than just rumors.
Twitter recently struck up a deal with a payment services company called Stripe. According to reports, the two companies will soon ink an agreement. Then, Twitter posted a job listing for someone with a background in eCommrece. However the other shoe dropped when mock ups of Twitter eCommerce leaked from Fancy.com, an online commerce site.
Re/code discovered documents, which show what eCommerce could look like on Twitter. In one image, you can see a tweet with a picture of an interesting coffee mug. Below the picture is a little blue rectangle that says, "Buy with Fancy." Theoretically, if you wanted to buy that specific mug, all you would have to do is click on the new blue button. You will then be asked for your credit card information, name and address--all within Twitter's website or app--and voila! You've bought the mug you've been admiring on your Twitter feed.
Another mock up from Fancy.com shows the buyer tracking the item as it is shipped to his or her location. The buyer can receive shipping updates and view a map, showing where the item currently is located.
A source familiar with Twitter's eCommerce plans stated that the mock ups discovered by Re/code were made by Fancy.com to illustrate what eCommerce would potentially look like on the social networking site. The source added that Twitter is in talks with a number of other eCommerce companies as well.
In previous years, Twitter has reportedly considered delving into eCommerce, but decided against it each time. It seems that now, after the company has gone public, Twitter is reconsidering its options.
Facebook also experimented with built-in eCommerce, but it failed to catch on with users. However, Twitter is a different animal from Facebook, with many businesses featuring prominently on users' news feeds. Businesses already use Twitter to announce promotions and Twitter could make businesses pay for Promoted ad tweets.
It is unknown whether Twitter will actually go through with its eCommerce plans this time around, but it certainly is worth noting that Twitter's co-founder Jack Dorsey is a board member of Fancy.com, so forging a relationship with the growing eCommerce website would be simple.
