“Consumers will rely on their peers as they make online decisions, whether or not brands choose to participate. Socially connected consumers will strengthen communities and shift power away from brands and CRM systems; eventually this will result in empowered communities defining the next generation of products.” Jeremiah Owyang

The report puts a few pieces of information together to conclude that Twitter could “couple e-commerce with advice from other shoppers, an element that most search engines do not offer.”

In other words, combining what Twitter users already do – ask their followers for product recommendations – with a proprietary Twitter product search and payment system. Adding fuel to this idea is Twitter board member Todd Chaffee, who tells The Times that “As people use Twitter to get trusted recommendations from friends and followers on what to buy, e-commerce navigation and payments will certainly play a role in Twitter monetization.”