As first reported by Mashable, Facebook marketers may soon be able to gauge product popularity with the addition of a Want button. At present, only select partners have been invited to use the capability, which also includes a “Collect option for fans to share items they want on their own timelines. According to Mashable, Victoria’s Secret, Pottery Barn, Michael Kors and Neiman Marcus are among the first recipients of the capability.
Earlier this year, Brafton highlighted some speculation about a Facebook Want button. Adding new features for marketers will help Facebook add more incentive for companies to make it part of social media marketing strategies.
Currently, it seems the icon will appear on users’ timelines once they Like or “Collect” individual products. Mashable reported that images of products will likely appear on users’ newsfeeds, where they can engage with content and even buy items directly from Facebook. Social commerce is an appealing option for marketers as it’s a potentially faster way to bring users toward conversion. However, it’s unclear what the relationship would be between Facebook and companies selling the items.
Moreover, consumers seem slightly hesitant about making purchases directly from Facebook even as they enjoy interacting with brands on the platform. Brafton recently reported that 34 percent of respondents to an AYTM Market Research survey said they would buy items on Facebook, while most said they enjoy seeing content from brands but prefer carrying out transactions on their websites.
