Facebook is working with e-commerce platform Shopify to extend testing of its 'buy' button, which lets users purchase products without leaving the social network.
Facebook began trialling the buy button with a small group of Shopify merchants last summer, enabling people to purchase products advertised on the social network directly from sellers by clicking a call-to-action tab on ads and page posts.
A far larger group of US-based Shopify firms are now being invited to join a beta test, where they can add the new Facebook sales channel to their account and start posting products with buy buttons, promoting them with paid advertising.
The expanded trial comes in the wake of news that another social network, Pinterest is introducing its own button that will be available to Shopify merchants. Both Pinterest and Facebook are working with Stripe on their plans.