As if shopping online wasn’t easy enough, there is a new technology that promises to make it simpler than ever.
According to WXYZ Detroit, web titans such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google are following in the one-touch footsteps of PayPal and Amazon, introducing a new way to place orders online with “buy buttons.”
The technology is intended to eliminate the need to re-enter personal information when making multiple purchases, as well as help the process become more secure.
So, how exactly do buy buttons work?
“Buy buttons work by pretty much exactly as they sound,” says Nick Holland of Javelin Research.
Basically, you input your credit card and shipping information one time per website. It is then saved for future reference, and can only be accessed when your identity is verified by logging into your account.
When a user sees an ad pop up for a product or service they are interested in, they simply click the buy button next to the graphic and, voila, the purchase is complete.
“If you make it easier for a consumer to buy something they see when they’re searching online, on their mobile device, then those shoppers become much more valuable then advertising,” says John Breyault of the National Consumers League. “It’s extra revenue for retailers.”
Over $1.1 trillion of global sales in 2011 were considered to be “web-influenced,” and technology like buy buttons is adding to those totals with every passing year.
The online buy buttons are replacing a recent development in online shopping: “buy me” buttons. According to The Verge, Amazon recently released their Dash button system after a beta trial test was successful.
These one-click “buy me” buttons are small devices kept around the house for products such as Tide and Clorox. They are $5 each, and removing the need for buying and clicking a physical button is a huge sell for those who wish to shop directly from their tablet or smartphone.
While the introduction of buy buttons is exciting for most, make sure you hide the news from the shopaholic in your life. One-click shopping is so easy that you may lose track of how much you’re actually spending.