Facebook Messenger Nixes Discover, Adds New Business Features

Facebook is introducing new business tools for Messenger as it moves to delete the Discover tab, according to reports on Thursday (Aug. 29).

Appointments and leads are just some of the new features Facebook announced at its F8 developer conference, TechCrunch noted in its report. The Discover tab in Messenger is also being phased out as Facebook works to better serve the 40 million active businesses who use Messenger.

The social media firm said it will make investments to help direct users to use Messenger to interact with businesses in other ways.

“Simply put, we want to make it more seamless for people to reach out to businesses on Messenger in places where they’re already looking to connect,” Facebook said Thursday in a blog for developers. “We will put more investment into tools to connect people and businesses — including updates to m.me links, web plugins, various entry points across our family of apps, as well as ad products — that lead to Messenger.” 

Facebook said it will soon roll out a lead-generation tool that will work as a Messenger template within Facebook Ads Manager. Businesses will be able to create automated experiences to evaluate Messenger leads. They can then take the conversation to the app. Leads can also be integrated with CRM tools.

Appointment booking on Messenger will allow businesses to schedule appointments in real time and integrate the information with calendars. Businesses will also soon be able to report and track their Messenger conversations.

Also from the F8 conference, Facebook said it will soon let Marketplace sellers “ship items anywhere in the continental U.S., while [consumers will] be able to pay for purchases directly through the platform. As such, sellers who are happy to ship their goods will be able to cater to customers on the other side of the country. Buyers, meanwhile, should have access to a broader selection of items and perhaps some peace of mind through purchase protection for eligible items.”

Facebook is striving to become a bigger player in eCommerce, with enhancements being powered by artificial intelligence (AI).