New, simpler 'Buy' buttons aim to entice mobile shoppers

San Francisco

DENISE CHAPMAN, a director at a San Diego advertising agency, is afraid to count how many hours of each day she spends on her mobile phone, browsing for clothes or gifts. But when it comes time to actually buy something, instead of using her iPhone, she fires up an ageing Dell computer that sits on a desk in her family's kitchen.

"I've gotten to the point where I don't even try" to make online purchases with a phone, Ms Chapman said. "There's just always something, if it's your fat thumbs or having to redo your information. I go straight to the desktop because I feel like it's going to be easier." Now several companies, including Google, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, are trying to bridge the gap between mobile browsing and desktop purchasing with a simple "buy" button.