Facebook Inc is testing a new “buy” button on its website that will let consumers purchase products that are advertised on its social network.<\/p>\n
The new service, which Facebook described on Thursday as a test with a “few small and medium-sized businesses” in the United States, represents the Internet social networking company’s latest effort to play a bigger role in the e-commerce business.<\/p>\n
Facebook said its new Buy button will be available on the mobile and desktop PC version of its website and will allow consumers to purchase goods directly from participating businesses.<\/p>\n
“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\u2019d like to save payment information for future purchases,” the company said in a blog post on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Facebook is not currently taking any portion of the revenue for products sold with the Buy button, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. Credit card transactions will be handled by a third-party payment processing company, the person said.<\/p>\n
Facebook in 2012 introduced a way for its users to buy their friends gifts such as socks and teddy bears. But Facebook stopped selling physical goods through the service after a year, letting consumers buy only gift cards instead.<\/p>\n
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