Twitter is testing shopping reminders for upcoming product drops

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Twitter is testing a new shopping feature for previewing upcoming product releases. The feature, called Product Drops, allows brands to tease items before they go on sale, and customers can sign up to be reminded prior to the release through in-app notifications.

The company shared how reminders would work in a blog post today. When brands set up product drops, shoppers can sign up for alerts by clicking a “remind me” button. Product drop tweets act like other posts on Twitter and can be liked, retweeted, bookmarked, and shared. Users who opt in to get reminders will get a notification 15 minutes before the time of the release and at the set time of the drop. When it’s time to purchase and users click the notification, they’ll be directed to a “shop on website” button leading to the brand’s site.

The test is currently limited to iOS users in the US who use Twitter in English. Early brand partners include Dior, The Home Depot, and clothing company Union Los Angeles, according to Twitter.

Twitter shopping reminders are similar to tools that exist on other platforms like Instagram, where brands preview upcoming products and customers can set up reminders. Though e-commerce may not be as much of a focus on Twitter as it is on Instagram, where an entire tab is dedicated to shopping, shoppers already discuss highly anticipated releases on Twitter. For that, the new Twitter test includes a clickable hashtag related to the drop on the product preview page, so shoppers can find tweets about the release.