Over the past few months, there has been a lot of buzz surrounding buy buttons. In an effort to eliminate the barriers between their social networks and brand e-Commerce sites, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and others, have unveiled plans and tests for their own respective buy buttons.
However, Pinterest is the only network to fully go to market with its offering, called Buyable Pins. In a recent article, David Maddocks, CMO and GM of Business Development at Cole Haan said:
“We can already see what types of imagery and keywords are performing best across all social platforms,” Maddocks said. “But we’re beginning to optimize our Pinterest content and are looking forward to seeing what’s on the horizon as Buyable Pins become more mature in the marketplace.”
But will buy buttons have a quantifiable impact on retailers and brands? Will they be widely adopted by consumers? The RTP team shares their thoughts:
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Debbie Hauss, Editor-in-Chief: I think the buy buttons will be successful once they saturate the market further and shoppers have a better understanding of how they work. It is definitely akin to impulse purchasing in stores and should impact the market similarly and for impulse-type products. I would probably use them if it was a product I was familiar with or in need of in a hurry, such as birthday flowers, household products or an item I forgot to pack on a trip.
Alicia Fiorletta, Senior Editor: I think buy buttons have a lot of potential, especially for networks like Pinterest that thrive on visual inspiration and aspiration. To Debbie’s point, I think retailers are going to be going through a learning curve with these features; they’ll need to understand consumer behaviors, of course, but also the logistical side of things. For example, how do you ensure pricing information and inventory levels are synchronized across all channels, from the e-Commerce site, to the buy buttons to the store.
Rob Fee, Managing Editor: There are certain product categories, such as diapers, where I think buy buttons offer a lot of convenience to consumers. I’ve considered ordering a couple of Amazon’s Dash buttons, but ultimately decided not to for a couple of reasons. First, upon closer inspection, there wasn’t a product offered that fit my needs. For example, while everyone uses laundry detergent, Dash only offers the ability to order powder and pods at this time, which I do not use. But more importantly, I think its’ crazy that Amazon requires shoppers to buy Dash buttons. Sure, shoppers get the $4.99 cost back on their first purchase, but offering a guarantee of repeat, regular purchases merits a bit more than a coupon…and it shouldn’t cost a thing!
Kim Zimmermann, Senior Managing Editor: I would use the “buy” button if there were some sense of urgency around it. If it was a retailer I have ordered from before, and the call to action was something like, “we only have a few more available in your size,” it might inspire me. I think putting some data behind it would be more conducive to success.
Glenn Taylor, Associate Editor: A lot of the buy buttons’ efficacy will come from the ability to extract data from consumers as they make purchasing decisions online. If I looked for an item online within the past few days, and did an extensive search for it and related products, a buy button on a social media would be a perfect way to get me back on that track. Also, the process between click-to-buy will have to be so fast that I will want to use it instead of just going to the e-Commerce site to purchase. I do have faith that certain retailers will implement the model well, but I would probably wait a few months before making a purchase through that venue.
Brian Anderson, Associate Editor: I don’t think I’d use a Buy Now button. Whether it’s a redirect to the retailer’s site or a native purchase through the third-party social platform, I don’t believe that there is any type of a purchase that I’d make that would give me a big enough impulse to click the button. However, people have different urges to try this form of payment. So if a retailer tests out a buy now button and sees success with a small group of targeted customers, I’m sure that the initiative would be successful if they did a complete roll out.
Do you think buy buttons will be the next retail craze? Will retailers see value from these offerings? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
