Facebook is rumored to be rolling out a Want button to allow consumers to indicate products and services they plan to buy.

Unconfirmed reports suggest that Facebook is prepared to unveil a Want button in addition its already popular Like function. The feature could be especially valuable for marketers, as the button could encourage explicit endorsement of a product or service discussed on the platform.

Social media marketing with Facebook has received a series of new capabilities in the months since the company’s IPO. With Facebook actively looking for new ways to generate revenue and maintain its growth, innovations that both marketers and consumers can use are important for the organization.

According to rumors, the Want functionality will be available for fans of business pages to suggest items they plan to purchase. A piece of code spotted by Tom Waddington indicates it will be a boon for social commerce. Marketers might be able to choose which posts they include the Want button on, so it won’t appear when web content or other non-product, non-service posts are shared.

Given the product-focused nature of the Want button, other moves from Facebook made recently appear even more valuable. Brafton recently highlighted the planned release of Scheduled Page Posts to set content for sharing at optimal times. Theoretically, marketers can pair with the Want button for the release and availability of new products.

Joe Meloni is Brafton's former Executive News and Content Writer. He studied journalism at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and has written for a number of print and web-based publications.