Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, said today that the company is introducing a new “payments in conversation” function on Instagram. Users can now monitor orders via direct messaging on Instagram in the US and buy goods from small companies thanks to this new function. Users may start by sending a direct message to a qualifying small company they’re interested in purchasing from to use the new functionality. They may then pay, track their order, and ask the company any more questions in the same chat thread. Customers will now be able to pay merchants straight within their Instagram message thread, according to the firm, which claims that customers frequently discuss their purchases with companies via Instagram DMs before making a purchase. According to Meta, customers may obtain in-app chat assistance when they make a purchase using DMs. “You can now buy products from small businesses and track your order in chat on Instagram in the U.S.,” Zuckerberg said in the announcement post. “Pay with Meta Pay and checkout in a few taps.” According to a screenshot posted by Meta, the vendor can make a request for payment after the customer has made a decision to make a purchase. When a user clicks the “Pay” button, they are prompted to enter and confirm their shipping address and payment details. The screenshot states, “PayPal will process your payment.” The debut of the new function coincides with Meta’s last month’s official rebranding of Facebook Pay to Meta Pay. The Facebook Pay capabilities are now available and the general user interface will not change across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. Zuckerberg stated at the time of the redesign that although the service would remain the same, rebranding is the first step for Meta towards developing a digital wallet for the metaverse. According to him, a digital wallet in the metaverse will enable individuals to securely maintain their identities, their possessions, and their payment methods.
