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Pinterest is rumoured to be planning a move into e-commerce with the installation of a 'buy' button.
The slick digital scrapbook reportedly wants its users to do more than just find and share cool new stuff through its service. It wants them to actually purchase that stuff.
According to Recode, Pinterest could be ready to add a 'buy' button within three to six months.
The feature would allow users to order and pay for some of the stuff they've pinned without having to leave the Pinterest website or app.
Up to now, Pinterest has made its money through advertising, as people use the service to track down and share the best furniture, clothing, food and other goods that the web has to offer.
However, moving to a proper internal purchasing system would, it's claimed, turn far more of those pins into purchases.
That payment system will allegedly come through Stripe, a payments company that already has similar deals with Facebook and Twitter.
Related: Facebook formalises selling process through For Sale Groups
Those two social networks have been experimenting with 'buy' buttons themselves in recent times, of course, but Pinterest holds a crucial advantage. Its users are already looking for new stuff when they boot up the app or website.
Of course, unlike Amazon, Pinterest won't be directly responsible for maintaining the inventory of the goods it features, which could lead to significant user frustration and dissatisfaction with the new purchasing system. It'll be a tricky balancing act, but one most feel it has to attempt to remain relevant.
