Get All Access for $5/mo

New Details Emerge About Facebook's 'Buy' Button Social media platforms are doubling as ecommerce platforms that deliver instant gratification in the form of instant in-feed purchases.

By Laura Entis

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Social media isn't just for social media anymore. Increasingly, it's doubling as an ecommerce platform – meaning impulse buying has never been so mindlessly easy.

Twitter recently started testing a "Buy" button, which allows users to make purchases directly from the company's mobile app in a seamless couple-of-clicks transaction.

San Francisco-based payments startup Stripe is powering this embedded purchasing feature, and now Recode reports that it is also behind Facebook's "Buy" button, which the social network announced it was testing back in July.

"With this feature, people on desktop or mobile can click the 'Buy' call-to-action button on ads and Page posts to purchase a product directly from a business, without leaving Facebook," the company wrote in a blog post introducing the test run, which is being piloted on desktop and mobile versions of Facebook among several small- and medium-sized businesses nationwide.

Related: Facebook Pilots 'Buy' Button as Twitter Snaps Up Payments Startup CardSpring

As Recode notes, it's possible that Facebook could team up with other payment services in the future (it did just hire David Marcus, the ex-PayPal president), but for now, Stripe and Stripe alone is behind both in-feed purchasing services.

While Facebook and Twitter don't take a percentage of sales transacted over their respective channels (at least, not yet), adding an ecommerce component could attract advertisers who want a more tangible return-on-investment from their social media efforts than "likes" and followers.

No word yet on when either Twitter or Facebook's "Buy" button will transition from pilot test to actual feature, but it seems safe to predict we'll see more developments as the holidays approach.

Related: Facebook's 'Buy' Button Will Change How Brands Sell Online

Laura Entis is a reporter for Fortune.com's Venture section.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Science & Technology

5 Automation Strategies Every Small Business Should Follow

It's time we make IT automation work for us: streamline processes, boost efficiency and drive growth with the right tools and strategy.

Business News

Former Steve Jobs Intern Says This Is How He Would Have Approached AI

The former intern is now the CEO of AI and data company DataStax.

Leadership

Visionaries or Vague Promises? Why Companies Fail Without Leaders Who See Beyond the Bottom Line

Visionary leaders turn bold ideas into lasting impact by building resilience, clarity and future-ready teams.

Marketing

5 Critical Mistakes to Avoid When Giving a Presentation

Are you tired of enduring dull presentations? Over the years, I have compiled a list of common presentation mistakes and how to avoid them. Here are my top five tips.

Side Hustle

'Hustling Every Day': These Friends Started a Side Hustle With $2,500 Each — It 'Snowballed' to Over $500,000 and Became a Multimillion-Dollar Brand

Paris Emily Nicholson and Saskia Teje Jenkins had a 2020 brainstorm session that led to a lucrative business.

Business Process

How CEOs Can Take Control of Their Emails and Achieve Inbox Zero

Although there are many methodologies that leaders can use to manage their emails effectively, a consistent and thought-through process is the most effective way to systemize and respond to emails and is a step of stewardship for the effective leader.