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Facebook tests recommendations with virtual assistant (FB)
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Facebook is testing a new feature for its M virtual assistant on the Messenger app that allows the assistant to make recommendations to users based on the conversations they're having in Messenger, BuzzFeed reports.
Right now, Facebook is testing simple recommendations like suggesting responses to messages in a conversation, but it would be a natural progression for the feature to start suggesting products and services in the future. So if two individuals are messaging each other about going to see a movie, the M assistant could suggest movie times and tickets, and also help arrange rides for the two individuals at the designated time.
The feature could be a major boon for Facebook’s ongoing efforts to draw retailers to its Messenger platform. Businesses have already launched more than 30,000 chatbots on Messenger that can handle basic customer service interactions and help facilitate purchases. Meanwhile, Facebook’s Messenger platform already has more than 1 billion active users throughout the world, offering merchants a chance to reach a very large audience.
In addition, Facebook has been rapidly developing additional ways for retailers to leverage the platform in order to monetize the Messenger app. Besides enabling chatbots and payments through Messenger, Facebook has also written code into Messenger that is designed to allow customers to shop for items within the app itself, turning the chat app into a kind of e-commerce marketplace.
The M virtual assistant for Messenger has yet to be released, so the recommendations feature is still a far-off reality for users. In fact, Facebook has been testing the assistant for more than a year, and has yet to announce a release date for it. However, Google’s addition of its Google Assistant virtual assistant in its new Allo messenger app could push Facebook to accelerate the development and release of its M assistant to help Messenger compete with Allo in the messaging space.
The tests around the recommendations feature show that Facebook intends to use the M assistant to help it further monetize the Messenger platform, which could pay dividends for retailers that hop onboard.
Messaging apps have evolved beyond simple text communication tools to include commerce, file sharing, artificial intelligence, and more. And that evolution is ongoing.
BI Intelligence, Business Insider’s premium research service, has compiled a detailed report on messaging apps that takes a close look at the size of the messaging app market, how these apps are changing, and the types of opportunities for monetization that have emerged from the growing audience that uses messaging services daily.
Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:
Mobile messaging apps are massive. The largest services have hundreds of millions of monthly active users (MAU). Falling data prices, cheaper devices, and improved features are helping propel their growth.
Messaging apps are about more than messaging. The first stage of the chat app revolution was focused on growth. In the next phase, companies will focus on building out services and monetizing chat apps’ massive user base.
Popular Asian messaging apps like WeChat, KakaoTalk, and LINE have taken the lead in finding innovative ways to keep users engaged. They’ve also built successful strategies for monetizing their services.
Media companies, and marketers are still investing more time and resources into social networks like Facebook and Twitter than they are into messaging services. That will change as messaging companies build out their services and provide more avenues for connecting brands, publishers, and advertisers with users.
In full, this report:
Gives a high-level overview of the messaging market in the US by comparing total monthly active users for the top chat apps.
Examines the user behavior of chat app users, specifically what makes them so attractive to brands, publishers, and advertisers.
Identifies what distinguishes chat apps in the West from their counterparts in the East.
Discusses the potentially lucrative avenues companies are pursuing to monetize their services.
Offers key insights and implications for marketers as they consider interacting with users through these new platforms.
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