The social network has placed a “buy” button on adverts for
products that would allow its users to pay for them directly from the ads
without leaving Facebook.
The “buy” button will be visible from ads on both desktop and
mobile app versions of the social network. It will also be seen on product page
posts from brands. By clicking on it, the user will be connected directly with
the retailer.
Facebook announced that this feature was built with privacy in
mind. The company pointed out that it was trying to make the payment experience
both safe and secure. As such, none of the credit or debit card information
users would be sharing with Facebook when completing a transaction can be
shared with other advertisers. In addition, it will be up to users whether or
not they’d like to save payment information for future purchases.
The feature is testing now, limited to a few small- and
medium-sized businesses in the United States. In the meantime, it is expected
to help both advertisers and users. At the moment, when a user clicks on an ad
within Facebook for a product he or she wants to buy, the service would send
them to an external website. The company launched a store for goods two years
ago, but pulled the plug on the venture last year after lack of engagement from
users with gift cards of the most popular brands.
Facebook is not the first one to introduce the “buy” button –
Twitter has done that earlier in 2014. Now everyone can buy products directly
from ads on Twitter, and even Amazon added the ability to put items to a
shopping cart directly via tweets three months ago.
Perhaps, testing will expand to the users in the United Kingdom
soon as well, but thus far there were no official confirmation from the
company.
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