Almost two years after it introduced advertising, Tumblr is taking a baby step toward offering e-commerce by letting users post content from Etsy with a "Buy" button.
The blogging platform has also rolled out a "Browse" button for content posted Artsy, "Pledge" for Kickstarter and "Get Involved" for DoSomething.org. The Etsy button is designed to support artists. A company spokesperson declined to say whether Tumblr gets a cut of any of the sales.
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Tumblr, which Yahoo acquired for $1.1 billion in cash last year, saw its user base grow by 46% in 2013. However, the company reportedly made just $13 million in 2012, though CEO David Karp said he hoped Tumblr would bring in $100 million in 2013. An eMarketer report in August speculated that Tumblr isn't helping Yahoo counter an overall decline in ad revenues. Yahoo hasn't revealed Tumblr's revenues.
Offering e-commerce capability would be one way to help Yahoo's bottom line. This year, Twitter and Facebook added "Buy" buttons. Both are still mostly testing the buttons, while advertisers weigh their efficacy.