Twitter has disclosed that it has launched a live shopping feature which the social media giant will test with Walmart Inc. Twitter announced the launch and test in a blog post.
This will offer users an opportunity to buy products promoted during a real-time video broadcast as part of a push into businesses outside advertising.
Walmart will be the first company to sell via the new tool during a live event on Nov. 28, making a test run over the weekend that traditionally kicks off the holiday shopping season.
The world’s largest retailer will broadcast on the Twitter app with musician Jason Derulo, and users will be able to browse a product catalog while watching the live video, Twitter said Monday in a blog post.
Users will be able to click on the live stream which will send viewers to Walmart’s website to complete a transaction.
Executives of San Francisco-based Twitter earlier this year said they see shopping as a business opportunity, though the effort has yet to be expanded beyond a handful of experiments.
Twitter announced a “shop module” in July that let a small number of retailers add products to their Twitter profiles, a program that went offline after a test period and will be reintroduced next month.
The company isn’t processing payments or taking a cut of any transactions.
Twitter has been looking for ways to expand its business to decrease dependency on digital advertising, which accounts for 89% of sales. The company also recently launched a monthly subscription product.
