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  • Facebook Is Adding In-Site Buy Buttons
Technology Articles > Social Networking > Facebook > Facebook Is Adding In-Site Buy Buttons

Facebook is adding buy buttons to advertisements, and this means a whole new level of selling to social users

You know all of those Facebook ads that jam up your newsfeed? Well, those are about to get better (for marketers, at least). Facebook is currently testing a “buy” button that will let people purchase items in ads directly from the social networking site. This means that payments will be processed directly through Facebook too. How does the company plan to keep it all secure? Facebook reps have an answer to that question.

Security Promises

Facebook reps have told press that the company is working extra hard to make sure that all online payments are secure. The company has also stated that the credit and debit card details people use through Facebook will not be sold or given in any way to advertisers. Facebook will also let people decide whether or not to keep transaction details (and credit card numbers) on file, much like companies such as Amazon already do. If a person does not want those details listed, that’s a personal choice that can be made.

At the moment, users viewing Facebook ads can click on those ads in order to buy an item through an external site. The new Facebook button would allow people to purchase items directly though the social network, so buying things will be a whole lot simpler – even easier if you store your payment details with the social network. Even though Facebook has promised that all transactions will be private and secure, the company doesn’t exactly have a good track record when it comes to privacy.

Following in Twitter’s Footsteps

Twitter introduced a “buy” button in advertisements earlier this year, and that plan has made marketers happy, but Facebook doesn’t have the same trust that Twitter has when it comes to users. So, it will be interesting to see whether or not people will trust Facebook enough to store sensitive details like credit card information. Right now, you may not see the new buy button on your Facebook newsfeed, and that’s because the test is limited to some smaller retailers in the U.S.

If the new marketing plan works out for Facebook, you will soon be able to buy any items you see in your newsfeed directly though the site. It’s going to be a hard sell for Facebook – the company that just played a little emotional game with its public through emotional manipulation – when it comes to getting trusting buyers, but most people will forgive the social network of these crimes in the face of buying something instantly.

This is impulsive buying at its best, and it doesn’t get any better than being able to view, point, click, and buy. Since we live in a world where instant gratification is what drives us, I’m betting that Facebook’s new buy buttons will work like a charm.