Facebook appears to be testing a new version of Offers, which gives members the option to redeem immediately or to be notified before the promotion expires.

Facebook Offers are coupons and deals offered by local merchants that appear in fans’ News Feeds and Sponsored Stories. While Offers are free for fans, the cost of running one for your business can be as little as five dollars.

Previously, when selecting an Offer, individuals could only choose “Get Offer.” The responsibility of redeeming the discount was put solely on the customer. Now, as part of the test, members will see two buttons: “Shop Now” and “Remind Me.”

By clicking “Shop Now,” fans will be taken directly to a retailer’s website for redemption. If fans click on “Remind Me,” they will receive an email and, at a later date, a notification on Facebook. It’s up to you to decide when you’ll remind customers about their promotions, but you’re limited to sending one notification per offer.

Offers will also be saved to a new section of an individual’s Facebook account — previously these were emailed, but never stored on the social network. Now members will see an Offers bookmark in the left-hand menu. Additionally, Facebook has changed the way activity is shared. Instead of automatically generating a story, individuals will have to click an option to “Tell Friends.”

And finally, the social network is testing a new design for offers posts which include larger images and calls to action that appear as more prominent buttons instead of simple hyperlinks. The company hopes this will maximize conversions. Earlier reports noted that 42 million members have claimed an offer, though it’s unclear how many have redeemed an offer they claimed.

Currently Facebook is working a handful of global retailers for this test. Other Pages won’t be affected and those Offers will continue to appear in the original format. There’s no word on when the updated version will be rolled out more widely.

[Via: Inside Facebook, Image credit: Groupon]