Talking about how much marketing changes is platitudinous. We know it. We get it.
Let’s move on, right?
Yes, but right now, Facebook is turbid with change. And this is where we need to pay some attention. Stuff is dying!
We’ve already disclosed Facebook’s shocking leadership melee, the immolation of Messenger scan codes, and the stuttering death of the News Feed, and now this — they’ve axed P2P payments.
What happened?! Facebook is killing off Messenger P2P payments in the UK and France.
The news is official. Facebook has declared that they are shutting down Messenger P2P payment ability for all users in the UK and France.
P2P Messenger payments are cool. It lets two individuals send money to each other easily, directly within the Messenger app.
P2P payments are still available for other countries. Only France and the UK are affected by this change.
It’s an odd reversal since Facebook started the service to the UK and France in November of 2017. Sure didn’t last very long.
Here’s what Facebook said about the change:
After evaluating how we give people the best experiences in Messenger, we made the decision to focus our efforts on experiences that people find most useful. Users have been notified in preparation for this change.
When does the end of P2P Messenger payments go into effect in France and the UK?
According to Facebook, the date is June 15, 2019.
Users have apparently had plenty of time to recover from the shock, commiserate with friends, dry their eyes, and look for new ways to transmit payment to friends.
Facebook’s it’s-not-you-it’s-me note was being distributed in early April and looked like this:
It’s straightforward: “A thing is happening. Thanks. We’re sorry.”
But why? WHY?!
Facebook Messenger is Changing
Messenger is at the center of Facebook’s business plan for the foreseeable future.
So when a feature like P2P payments gets shuttled, it hits close to home.
Why? Because P2P payments are a functionality of Facebook Messenger, similar to how scan codes were embedded in the heart of Facebook Messenger.
We’re witnessing yet another tremor in the Messenger ecosystem.
In the past few months, Facebook has fiddled with Messenger functionality, discussed its future, killed some feature, or otherwise messed with it.
We know that Facebook Messenger and Facebook Messenger marketing is changing. We just don’t know what else will change.
Here’s what hasn’t changed.
If you’re an eager P2P payment user anywhere outside of the UK or France, you’re untouched. Breathe easy. For now.
The rest of Europe can continue enjoying P2P payments on Messenger along with the United States, Canada, India, and elsewhere.
Additionally, UK and France users can still complete other financial transactions on Facebook. According to the official Facebook statement posted by Facebook (and republished by TechCrunch):
While you won’t be able to exchange money with friends and family, you’ll still be able to complete other transactions through Facebook, such as making donations to charitable organisations.
Why did Facebook do it?
And so we tiptoe our way into the exciting arena of wild speculation.
Frankly, we just don’t know why Facebook does what it does — why it pulled the plug on scan codes, why it pushed the News Feed over the cliff, and why they’re hiring a small sovereign nation of blockchain developers and lawyers.
One likely reason that Facebook shut down the service in France and the UK was that people just weren’t using it that much.
With Venmo, PayPal, Zelle, Circle Pay, Google Pay, Apple Pay, Square, Zelle, Xoom, Dowlla, Cash App, and, heck, “Here’s €10 for the pain au chocolat, mon amie!” perhaps P2P payments with Messenger just weren’t getting much traction.
But we can be fairly certain that whatever Facebook is doing, it has to do with almighty revenue — making it, saving it, or preparing to do one of the above.
In the speculative playground of my mind, one of the most intriguing possibilities is that Facebook will release a worldwide cryptocurrency to conduct all kinds of transactions — from ad spend, to comping my friend for lunch, to movie tickets, to purchasing a pair of sneakers.
(You can read all about this. It’s number fourteen on the prediction list.)
If and when Facebook does hand the world a shiny new stablecoin, then the retrospective adieu of P2P functionality in France and the UK will make much more sense.
We have questions!
There are unanswered issues in the drawback of UK and France’s P2P services.
Here are a few of them:
- Will this affect P2P payments in other countries?
- Are P2P Messenger payments in the United States on the chopping block?
- Is Facebook in some sort of legal trouble?
- What about Facebook’s cryptocurrency?
- Will Facebook someday replace P2P Messenger payments in France and the UK?
- If so, will it be different from what it was in the past?
Perhaps there’s one big question on everyone’s mind:
What will be dumped in the Facebook graveyard next?
It’s not as if Mark Zuckerberg is storming down the halls of the office looking to zap more features and functionality.
Facebook is a business. They’re out to make a buck! They want nice, big, up-and-to-right revenue charts to show to their investors and employees.
The company is still rife with potential, power, and full-orbed capabilities. Stuff will come and stuff will go. The company will change, but some things will always remain.
And that’s what comforts my marketing heart.
Facebook Messenger marketing remains strong.
This statement of fact has been all but guaranteed both in Zuckerberg’s own statements and in the expanding features of Messenger marketing. Of those features, the chatbot power is enormous.
Customers.ai has been recognized by Facebook as the fastest-growing official Facebook Messenger Solutions Provider Partner. (That’s a lot of words, but it means nice things.)
Because of this, we’re pouring a whole lot of effort, developer muscle, and engineering prowess into making the Customers.ai chatbot builder as insanely powerful as possible.
If you’re a user, you’ve probably seen several interface facelifts, more features, easier-to-use tools, a faster platform, and the elimination of bugs.
If you’re not a user, you’re missing out.
You can upgrade your skill set by attending Customers.ai’s free online event on May 16, 2019. We’ve gathered some of the world’s best speakers to share how we as marketers can land huge clients, get sky-high retainer fees, and price and package our marketing services for massive success.
Make sure you secure your free ticket as soon as possible because we have placed a ceiling on the number of attendees we can accept.
Finally, three quick action items before you go:
- Sign up for Customers.ai and build your first Facebook Messenger chatbot today. Totes free!
- Sign up for occasional Facebook Messenger Marketing tips via Facebook Messenger.
- Join Customers.ai Island and ask questions and get answers alongside thousands of other chatbot marketers in the Facebook community.
