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

In an effort to move further into e-commerce and compete with Amazon Inc's retail offerings, Facebook announced 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 Facebook hopes to win over more ad dollars by smoothing the process. Mobile purchases make up less than 2 percent of all retail sales, according to research firm eMarketer.

Businesses on Facebook will be able to display products for purchase directly on their own pages. And users will be able to purchase products directly on Facebook through a "buy now" button that will be more widely available.

The 1.5-billion-member social network has also added a new section on its app that takes users directly to a shopping page where they can browse among numerous brands from a select group of small businesses that will gradually expand.

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