Twitter to test new live shopping experience with Walmart, Jason Derulo

Twitter is partnering with Walmart to launch an online shopping initiative via livestream. The latest feature will allow users to shop directly from businesses on the microblogging platform, while at the same time watching a live broadcast. The company will conduct its first test live shopping stream on November 28. The show will be hosted by renowned R&B artist Jason Derulo. Live shopping will include electronics, home goods, apparel, seasonal decorations, surprising special guests, and more. The social networking company has also started testing Twitter Shopping Manager.

Twitter on November 22 announced New live shopping experience via a blog post. Twitter and walmart Cyber ​​Week will kick off with the first ever shoppable livestream on Twitter on November 28. The Cyber ​​Deal Sunday event will begin at 7 PM ET (5:30 AM IST). During the event, users can watch live broadcasts, purchase products from Walmart (on iOS and desktop). Derulo will host the 30-minute variety show.

When viewing a live shopping stream on Twitter, people may see a shoppable banner and a Shop tab on the live event’s page. Plus, they can watch the livestream on the merchant’s website within the in-app browser, without pausing the show during purchase.

Twitter said of the feature, “Livestreaming on Twitter empowers businesses to connect with their most influential fans and is a natural extension of the experience to attract purchases and engage with receptive audiences.”

Twitter has also begun testing a Twitter Shopping Manager to assist with merchant onboarding and product catalog management. The company said this would give merchants a one-stop-shop to manage how they appear on Twitter. Twitter said it looks forward to introducing more products to make shopping on Twitter a new experience.

Twitter’s foray into livestream purchases follows a feature called shop module, The functionality, introduced in July this year, allows people to shop for products through an in-app browser. The Shop module is a dedicated space at the top of a profile where businesses can showcase their products. Twitter users can visit such profiles with the Shop module and scroll through a carousel of products. They can tap on interested products for other people to see through the in-app browser without leaving Twitter.