• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, June 19, 2015

Delving deeper into ecommerce, Twitter is testing some new ways to help users discover products within its network.

First up are dedicated pages, which will feature images and videos about products, alongside information such as a description, price and an option to buy, book, or visit a brand’s Web site for more information. Within users’ timelines, they can now expect to see pages and collections of pages that are shared by influencers and brands.

In addition, Twitter is also beginning to test new ways for people and brands to create and share Twitter collections of products and places. Users can now browse collections from various influencers, and get more information about featured products and places.

Already, there’s Nike’s LeBron Elite collection; Reese Witherspoon’s Draper James Summer Picks; The Ellen Show’s Best of The Ellen Shop and HBO's #GoT Fan Favorites. 

“This is just the beginning,” Amaryllis Fox, a product manager at Twitter, promises on a new blog post. “In the coming months we’ll be testing more new experiences we hope give you the most personalized and relevant information about the places and things you want to explore.”

While Twitter struggles with its direction, ecommerce appears to part of its broader ambitions.  

Among other efforts, the company has been inviting advertisers to create credit-card-connected promotions, and share them with users directly in their timelines. With their credit cards, users can redeem the new “Twitter Offers” in stores without the need for a coupon or numerical code.

Late last year, Twitter also began rolling out a “buy” button in tweets.

Last year, U.S. ecommerce was expected to reach $304.1 billion -- nearly 20% of which will occur via mobile devices -- according to eMarketer.

Whether a significant share of consumers will shop via social channels remains to be seen. One recent study from DigitasLBi found that 20% of U.S. consumers would consider purchasing via social, yet a separate report from Capgemini found that shoppers are less interested in social media than they were just two years ago.