Twitter buy now button
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Social Media Roundup: The Debut of Twitter’s “Buy Now” Button

Twitter is about to be populated with more commerce, and associations stand to benefit. Plus: what to consider before buying a new content management system.

Twitter is officially entering the world of e-commerce, rolling out a new “buy now” button for a small number of members before more users get a look at it. But will associations benefit from Twitter’s latest development? Find out in today’s Social Media Roundup.

Twitter Joins Your List of Storefronts

After months of speculation, Twitter finally announced it would add a function for users to purchase products and services directly through the social network.

So far, the buy-now button is limited to select brands and only a small group of Twitter members, but as time goes on, more and more U.S. consumers will be able to use the purchasing option.

“In our test, an entire purchase can be completed in just a few taps. After tapping the ‘Buy’ button, you will get additional product details and be prompted to enter your shipping and payment information,” Twitter product manager Tarun Jain wrote in a company blog post. “Once that’s entered and confirmed, your order information is sent to the merchant for delivery.”

The initial list of participants includes brands, musical artists, and retail stores, as well as nonprofits such as DonorsChoose, GLAAD, and the Nature Conservancy.

Nathan Hubbard, who heads Twitter’s commerce efforts, told the New York Times that he expects the service to do well with “anything that is perishable, that has a temporal component to it, or a sense of urgency.”

And if you’re thinking what I’m thinking, that’s a perfect fit for associations promoting events, limited-time membership deals, or advocacy campaigns. (ht @twitter)

Building a Backbone for a CMS

Thinking about getting a new content management system for your association to accommodate the wide array of new plug-ins and multimedia features or, perhaps, to support a pending redesign?

Then, as digital content strategist and website director Hilary Marsh advises, first make sure to assess your underlying workflow, metadata, personalization, and more.

Her post at CMSWire has a simple thesis anyone in the market for a system should consider: “CMSs operate within a larger technology and business ecosystem, so they can’t be the heroes if they act alone.” (ht @hilarymarsh)

(Twitter)

Morgan Little

By Morgan Little

Morgan Little is a contributor to Associations Now. MORE

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