It has been the subject of speculation for some time now, but today Twitter finally announces that the rumored "Buy" button will soon be making an appearance in timelines. The feature has been made public through a blog post that explains that the button will initially be pushed to "a small percentage of US users", but reassuring everyone else that coverage "will grow over time".
What does this mean? Well, that you will be able to buy things via tweets, essentially.
This is not a feature that will be seen across the entire Twitter network -- at least not for the time being -- it is restricted to the iOS and Android mobile apps to start with. If you see a tweet that mentions something you like the look of, just hit the Buy button to find out more. You'll then be prompted to enter your payment and shipping details, and your order is complete. For future orders, your payment details are securely saved so there's no need to enter them again.
To start with, there is a limited number of partners involved in the scheme including Fancy (@fancy), Gumroad (@gumroad), Musictoday (@Musictoday) and Stripe (@stripe). In the coming weeks you'll be able to buy from the likes of Burberry (@burberry), Eminem (@eminem), The Home Depot (@HomeDepot), Megadeth (@Megadeth), Panic! At The Disco (@panicatthedisco), Ryan Adams (@TheRyanAdams), Soundgarden (@soundgarden), The New Pornographers (@TheNewPornos), and 9/11 Day (@911Day). Musicians feature in the list quite heavily, and this could well be where most of Twitter's Buy button income stream comes from. Bands and artists can sell tickets through Twitter, giving fans the opportunity to ensure a place at the next gig with a quick tap.
Check out the video below for a (very quick) guide to the new Buy button: