What: The Like button's evolution from a simple user feedback mechanism to a cornerstone of digital retail demonstrates how modest innovations can revolutionise entire industries through distributed, iterative development.

Why it is important: This origin story challenges conventional innovation narratives in retail, demonstrating how transformative changes often emerge through collaborative evolution rather than singular breakthrough moments, as evidenced by current trends in social commerce reaching USD 800 billion by 2028 .

The invention of the Like button represents a fascinating case study in how transformative innovations often emerge through unexpected collaboration rather than planned development. The discovery of an old sketch from 2005 by Bob Goodson, Yelp's first employee, sparked a three-year investigation into the button's origins, revealing a complex web of concurrent developments across multiple companies. Rather than being the product of a single visionary moment, the Like button evolved through various iterations at different organisations, including Hot or Not, TiVo, and early social platforms. Facebook, despite being commonly credited with its invention, initially resisted implementing the feature until 2009. This distributed development process, involving multiple contributors working independently yet influentially, challenges traditional narratives about innovation being a linear, managed process. The button's impact has been profound, helping fuel the growth of a $250 billion social media industry and fundamentally changing how digital advertising and marketing operate.

IADS Notes: Recent retail developments continue to build upon the Like button's legacy of social validation and customer engagement. As of March 2025, AI-driven personalisation has become crucial, with 71% of consumers expecting tailored interactions . The resurgence of social shopping reported by John Lewis in December 2024  demonstrates the enduring power of social validation in retail. This trend extends to luxury brands, which are now successfully balancing traditional retail with digital engagement , while innovative feedback systems like Capri Holdings' 75,000-person consumer panel  show how sophisticated customer engagement has become.

What the “Like” button can teach us about innovation