San Francisco, October 13

Facebook Inc (FB) wants its users to shop for clothes and other products from their mobile sets without ever leaving its app.

In an effort to move further into e-commerce and compete with Amazon’s retail offerings, Facebook announced on Monday it is testing several ad features that allow users to shop directly through its app.

Few users make purchases on mobile phones because it is slow and cumbersome, but FB hopes to win over more ad dollars by smoothing process. Mobile purchases make up less than two per cent of all retail sales, as per eMarketer.

“We’re looking to give people an easier way to find products that will be interesting to them on mobile, make shopping easier and help businesses drive sales,” said Emma Rodgers, Facebook’s head of product marketing for commerce.

Among new features are ads that take a user through a specific brand’s products without redirecting them to another site. For example, a user who clicks on an ad from a boutique could see an expanded page that displays numerous clothing items.