Facebook wants a piece of the e-commerce cake

Facebook is keen to dive deeper into the ever expanding arena of e-commerce and f-commerce. The social network platform has announced the launch of a new feature to help online retailers drive sales through its site. F-commerce picks up where Facebook previously left off, after its first debut using easy

e-commerce back in 2011. With Facebook's new feature, e-tailers will be able to place advertisements on its News Feeds and Pages, with an additional button reading: 'Buy.'

Facebook

to offer click-and-buy feature for e-tailers

Users on desktops or mobiles will be able to click the 'Buy' button and directly purchase the offered product from the e-tailer, without ever leaving Facebook's website. A dialog box will pop up on the users Facebook, asking for their payment information and shipping details.

Afterwards Facebook will transfer the payment information to a third-part payment processor and inform the online retailer the details of the order, so it can be carried out. The social media site stresses 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,” commented Facebook in a statement.

Facebook is currently testing the new feature with a number of small and medium sized businesses within the US and is depended on feedback received from its users. In 2011, Facebook launched a similar project designed to simplify the online buying process and keep its users on its site.

At the time, Oscar de la Renta, was one of the first luxury labels to show it support for F-commerce, and launched a shopping experience on Facebook, in collaboration with social commerce solution 8thBridge. However, the labels CEO Alex Bolen decided to end the label's cooperation with Facebook buying scheme after a lack of interest and success.

The social network site is keen to streamline the purchasing chain, whilst keeping its users on Facebook so they would not be forced to visit another website or app to finalise a transaction. Although Facebook currently runs its own payment service, which is most used by users to by virtual items in games that run on its platform, the company is eager to encourage the sale of more general products and services on its site.

Image: Facebook new feature Click to Buy