Facebook Begins Testing New “Buy” Button

Facebook Begins Testing New “Buy” Button

Facebook, like all networks, wants to do everything that it can to keep users from leaving their website. Now, with the announcement of the testing of its new “Buy” button, users will be able to make purchases right from ads and Page posts found on the social network site.

The new “Buy” button contains an e-commerce infrastructure, allowing users to make purchases directly from Facebook. Still in the early testing phase, this button has only been made available to a select group of merchant pages, including “Modify Watches” and some other small and medium-sized businesses. When a user clicks on the button, a pop-up will prompt them to confirm their payment and shipping information and will then allow them to finalize the purchase, all without leaving Facebook. If the testing is considered a success, the expectation is for expansion across the entire network. Seeing as more and more people make purchases online these days, adding the ability to buy directly is a logical next step for social networks such as Facebook.

The company is keeping user’s privacy in mind in the development of the new “Buy” button, writing that it has “taken steps to help make the payment experience safe and secure. None of the credit or debit card information people share with Facebook when completing a transaction will be shared with other advertisers, and people can select whether or not they’d like to save payment information for future purchases.”

It is a common understanding throughout the industry that all of the massive technology companies are seeking new ways to increase user engagement. Fewer people are looking attentively at content these days, and that can include ads. Ad rate declines have been reported by Twitter, Google and many newspaper websites in recent times. For example, in April 2014, Ad Age reported the following: “Google hasn’t posted an annual increase in the average cost-per-click since the third quarter of 2011. It hasn’t posted a quarterly boost since the second quarter of that year. Both streaks remain intact.” The reality is that many content owners are now looking to their “readers’ offers” initiatives to build e-commerce into their content sites. Therefore, it makes a lot of sense for content owners to incorporate buying opportunities directly into their websites and their users’ mobile experiences.

Facebook’s testing of its new “Buy” button is a first step into this realm, and will likely lead to increased development and expansion into direct purchase options for users on their mobile devices.