Within hours of launching, a Twitter in-stream payments service from start-up Ribbon has been shut down.
The Ribbon integration with Twitter Cards let merchants create customised links for products, which they could tweet about. The service was designed to allow users to buy or sell products without needing to leave Twitter by simply clicking on the tweet and being offered a payment option.
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However, about 90 minutes after the service launched on Twitter, Ribbon’s executive officer Hany Rashwan noted in a blog post that the payment option had been stopped without any warning: "Before we released this, we made sure to validate our Twitter Card implementation…and all lights were green. We have had discussions with Twitter in the past, and are eager to find a way to work together."
Rashwan later told online media Mashable that he was shocked at Twitter’s actions: "We weren’t given a heads up," he said. "There was no notice."
The service was integrated with Twitter Cards, which essentially provides users with embedded information within a tweet – allowing for mobile app linking, photo galleries, product information, as well as payment options.
As the integration with Twitter Cards was taken down, Ribbon links sent users back to Ribbon.com without going into the in-stream buying experience.
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By GlobalDataNow customers are left with an option to see the offer on the web, forcing them to leave the social media platform and go to another website to make a purchase.
Twitter has not yet commented on why the service was taken down shortly after its integration was made public.
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