Dive Brief:
- While social networks such as Instagram and Pinterest have been busy testing or launching "Buy" buttons, many consumers aren’t interested in using them, a new survey says.
- A scant 9% of Facebook users told GlobalWebIndex they want to use a “Buy” button; other social media platforms garnered somewhat more interest.
- Five of North America’s leading social networks—Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Tumblr—have introduced some form of “Buy” button in the last year.
Dive Insight:
Social networks’ race to introduce “Buy” buttons apparently isn’t something for which consumers have been clamoring, according to a new survey from GlobalWebIndex. The percentage of respondents indicating interest in using a “Buy” button varied by network, with Facebook attracting the least interest (9%) and Tumblr (17%) the most among the platforms named. Pinterest, which has pinned the biggest hopes on a “Buy” button, attracted interest from only 13% of users, similar to Twitter (12%) and Instagram (14%).
Buy buttons are new to market, however, and consumers and retail partners alike may be behind the curve. Further, some social networks may still be working out boring back-end necessities such as payments and inventory before staging a full rollout. A separate study from Boston Retail Partners indicates that one-third (34%) of retailers are still counting on social revenues to increase this year, however, in part backed by “Buy” buttons.