Recently, we reviewed Facebook’s F8 developers conference. In this, there were several notable announcements, including the launch of chat bots on Facebook’s Messenger app. So today, we’re interested in delving deeper into the role of chat bots, and what they present for the company’s future. 

Chat bots are essentially those, primarily used by brands, which will be able to interact with customers on the Messenger app itself. When a user looks at his or her contact list in Messenger, these will appear underneath, and titled as “Bots”. For users, brand bots will be available to provide a richer experience, from recommending products, sending weather updates, and breaking news. In fact, three in these area coming to the app soon, are from personal assistant “Spring”, weather forecast bot Poncho, and CNN. In order to get the most out of these bots, users simply have to tell them what types of products, services or stories they are interested in, and the bot will adjust its posts to their requirements. Whenever a user wants, he or she simply has to message the bot, or click on specific shopping categories for example, and begin browsing based on product and price range. Following this, Facebook also hopes to develop the way in which these bots use artificial intelligence, so they begin to learn customers’ behavioural patterns over time, such as specific product preferences, and favourites news stories.

Following in the footsteps of top Chinese messaging app WeChat, Facebook hopes users will be able to engage with brands in a natural manner, as they would a friend. On WeChat for instant, Chinese users are already well-accustomed to using the app in order to do everything- from making appointments, booking cabs and flights, to shopping. In this way, brand chat bots within Messenger might one day replace many mobile apps, or at least offer an easier way for users to quickly connect and choose what they want to see.

Messenger already boasts 900 million users globally, presenting the ideal platform for brands to engage with a captive audience. Bot developers will enable brands to import their customer contact details to Messenger in order to connect with them in-app, and sites will soon be able to house plugins, letting customers know they can chat with their bots on the app. Facebook has been trialling the feature with retailers such as clothing company Everlane, and hopes that selected retailers will soon be able to use bots by as early as this year. Airlines as well, are another sector ripe for approach, with Facebook already testing this with KLM, in terms of how users can easily book flights and receive updates via the company’s bots. Especially for smaller brands who perhaps don’t have the luxury of having a mobile app, Messenger bots look set to be a great and cost-effective solution.

Facebook also hopes that bots will offer brands the chance to send re-engagement messages to their customers, notifying them about products or offers, for example, that they had previously expressed an interest in, or are now back in stock. Known as “Sponsored Messages”, this will be the primary method by which Facebook will monetize, as it will charge brands for the privilege. Its second stream of monetisation will come from “Click to Message a business” ads, which would let businesses create ads to encourage customers to start conversations with them. As ever, Facebook hopes that this will be a seamless experience, and result in as little user irritation as possible. If the platform can achieve this, we see bots revolutionising the way we use mobile for years to come.

How do you think chat bots will add value to the user experience on Messenger? And do you think they will benefit businesses? We’d love to hear your thoughts, so please tweet to us @PracticeDigital and share your comments on our Facebook page.