Twitter is testing a new system which allows people to purchase items by clicking on a 'buy' button embedded in tweets. A small percentage of US users (that will grow over time) will be given the option to buy goods from the social network's test partners.

In a post on the company's blog Tarun Jain, group product manager, writes: "This is an early step in our building functionality into Twitter to make shopping from mobile devices convenient and easy, hopefully even fun. Users will get access to offers and merchandise they can’t get anywhere else and can act on them right in the Twitter apps for Android and iOS; sellers will gain a new way to turn the direct relationship they build with their followers into sales. We’re not building this alone: we’ve partnered with Fancy (@fancy), Gumroad (@gumroad), Musictoday (@Musictoday) and Stripe (@stripe) as platforms for this initial test, with more partners to follow soon."

He adds: "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. Once that’s entered and confirmed, your order information is sent to the merchant for delivery."

Twitter has been quick to stress that the entire process is secure. "We built this test experience with your trust and security at the forefront," says Jain. "Your payment and shipping information is encrypted and safely stored after your first transaction, so you can easily buy on Twitter in the future without having to re-enter all of your information. Of course, you can always remove this information from your account. Your credit card is processed securely and won’t be shared with the seller without your permission."

It's an interesting change in direction for the social network, which has thus far seen the majority of its income come via advertising. Its initial partners on this project include Burberry, The Home Depot and musicians such as Eminem, Demi Lovato and Ryan Adams.

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