The tweets are talking and the tweets are offering. Today, Twitter announced a new feature, Twitter Offers, which allows users to select offers they see on their timeline through Twitter, and redeem the deals offline for cash back savings.
The inner workings of convenience usually reveal a complex network of services, and Twitter Offer is no different. When a Twitter user sees a coupon offer from a participating brand on their timeline, they can click, “Get Offer,” and the coupon will be stored in their registered debit or credit card. Consumers will need to add their card information after the first purchase and it “will be encrypted and safely stored,” according to Twitter.
Users can then redeem the coupon offline at the store that offered the sale by simply swiping their card. The savings will be instantly deducted from the final price and Twitter will send an email notification to the user, informing them how much they saved. The cash back savings will appear on the consumer’s online card statement within days.
It’s not exactly clear how the discount is stored on the user’s credit or debit card. Twitter doesn’t explain how the merchant or Twitter knows that the coupon has been redeemed and must be applied to the final price of the transaction. Digital Trends reached out to Twitter and will update this post as more information becomes available.
This is the latest push by Twitter to lure in advertisers since its IPO launch last November. It purchased CardSpring in July to help drive in-tweet purchasing. The CardSpring application platform allows developers to build digital applications linked to a variety of credit and debit cards. Two months after the acquisition, Twitter began testing in-tweet purchases with its Twitter Buy button. For Twitter Offers, advertisers will be given analytics on coupon redemptions for their Twitter advertisements, even if the coupons are redeemed offline.
Twitter is testing the new feature with a few, unnamed brands for the upcoming holiday season. The cash back offers will only be available to U.S. users for now. Reports indicate that Twitter won’t stop there. The company’s next commerce conquest may be money transfers. Last month, France’s second largest bank, Groupe BPCE, began experimenting with letting users send money to one another through tweets, no matter their respective banks. With many companies, including Walmart entering the money transfer business, the cash flow tide may be turning.
