Until now Messenger has been mostly focusing on increasing its user base and improvising on the user’s experience. That being said, Mark Zuckerberg had also explicitly stated earlier that Facebook doesn’t want to be the payment processor and instead partner with others for the same. This explains a lot, Facebook wants Messenger to shape up as a one stop shop for most of your online needs which might include utility bills, online shopping and also hyperlocal services. The payments are expected to come with Buy Buttons and this seems to be tied up with the in-store feature. It is still unclear on how Messenger will implement the same and whether it will also incorporate advertisements from vendor’s or services. The list of speculations also speaks about a secret conversation feature, which we feel might be a reference to an encrypted chat or maybe a self-destructing messaging service like that of Snapchat. Facebook is yet to outline its plans with the Messenger and it is only after extensive testing the company will announce the new features. I just hope that the inclusion of in-store services and the other related commerce features will not meddle with the seamless user experience that we usually associate with the Messenger. Furthermore, connecting the dots will lead us to believe that in all likelihood Facebook might build the upcoming ‘M’ personal assistant based on these new features.
