Twitter begins testing shopping feature on brand profile pages

FILE PHOTO: People holding mobile phones are silhouetted against a backdrop projected with the Twitter logo in this illustration picture taken in Warsaw September 27, 2013. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/File Photo

(Reuters) - Twitter Inc will begin allowing businesses to showcase products for sale at the top of their profile page, the social networking company said on Wednesday, as it seeks to grab a piece of the lucrative online shopping world.

The San Francisco-based company is following in the footsteps of larger rival Facebook Inc, which opened a "Shops" feature last year to let consumers purchase products directly through Facebook and Instagram.