Don't Buy Into 'Buy Buttons' Just Yet

The hottest topic in e-commerce these days seems to be “buy buttons.” The energy though appears premature. Pinterest announced its buyable pins with a press conference and sentimental Hallmark-like videos, though the buyable pins are actually hard to find. Facebook, the king of all social networks, announced a buy button more than a year ago, but it’s been relatively mum on the details (and it appears to only have one formal e-commerce partner). Media reports and blog posts of Instagram, Twitter and Google doing the same seem to further excite merchants and vendors alike — but nothing seems to have launched.