Facebook testing a way to buy things straight from the News Feed, Pages

Money
Facebook's money flow

Facebook is testing a new feature that lets you buy items directly from businesses without ever leaving the social network's web.

The test gets off the ground today, letting people purchase goods through a "Buy" button on News Feed ads and Page posts.

As shown in a mock-up, suggested or sponsored posts look exactly the same save for the attention-grabbing Buy button located under the item's image.

Users will find the option to buy available on both desktop and mobile versions of Facebook.

Facebook Buy

Money, money, money

Those concerned about privacy need not worry, Facebook said, as it's "taken steps to help make the payment experience safe and secure."

No credit or debit card info shared with Facebook will leave hands to other advertisers and users will have the choice of whether to save payment details for future purchases or not.

The test is small - it's limited to a few small and medium-sized businesses in the US, though more information, presumably on a greater rollout, is due once Facebook gathers feedback.

Facebook has a historical problem making money for others, so the hope behind the new feature is to help businesses drive sales. If it works, this will presumably lead to more businesses using Facebook for more than just status updates, thus creating a circle of mutual benefit and happiness all around.

Of course, much depends on users and if they feel the Buy button is an advertiser intrusion or a useful purchasing tool, and only time can tell if either is the case.

Michelle Fitzsimmons

Michelle was previously a news editor at TechRadar, leading consumer tech news and reviews. Michelle is now a Content Strategist at Facebook.  A versatile, highly effective content writer and skilled editor with a keen eye for detail, Michelle is a collaborative problem solver and covered everything from smartwatches and microprocessors to VR and self-driving cars.

Latest in Facebook
The Meta logo on a smartphone in front of the Facebook logo a little bit blurred in the background
Meta's new 'Link History' feature for the Facebook app isn't as protective of your data as it claims
The Meta Quest 3 in action
How much more data can Meta collect? Probably a lot, thanks to the Meta Quest 3 and Ray-Ban smart glasses
A laptop screen showing a Facebook Groups page
Scam alert: how to spot hoax posts in your Facebook Groups
Facebook
Facebook Messenger is losing a useful messaging feature soon
mother watching her daughter's activity online
Meta's new Facebook parental controls show social media still doesn't like responsibility
Phone screen closeup showing the download page for the Facebook app in the app store.
Meta wants to create a Facebook app store to compete with Apple's App Store and Google Play
Latest in News
Stress
Complexity of IT systems could be increasing security risks for businesses
Ai tech, businessman show virtual graphic Global Internet connect Chatgpt Chat with AI, Artificial Intelligence.
CEOs think they might lose their jobs if they can't deliver on AI
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4
From Ace of Spades to Them Bones, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4's soundtrack is already looking excellent
An AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT made by Sapphire on a table with its retail packaging
AMD describes its recent RDNA 4 GPU launch as 'unprecedented' and promises restocking the Radeon RX 9070 XT as 'priority number one'
The Google Gemini logo against a black background.
I tried Gemini's new AI image generation tool - here are 5 ways to get the best art from Google's upcoming Flash 2.0 built-in image upgrade
An image of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra from a hands-on event
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra could resurrect an intriguing camera feature