We’ve covered quite a bit on Facebook’s ecommerce ambition in Southeast Asia. Previously, we also talked about Facebook pulling a Wechat.
Now it seems, it’s no longer just a prediction – but a work in progress. Take a look below – Facebook is now offering movie tickets through its Facebook Marketplace, for the first time ever (in Thailand).
As the payments and marketplace business is not something we’re unfamiliar with at Momentum Works – we will be first to actually comment that this could possibly be a step in the right direction to garner users and drive adoption.
It seems that Facebook is just taking lessons from the playbook of established payment players currently in the market. Leading platforms such as Line and new entrant, BluePay encourages more usage, and sign ups by tying up with leading brands/businesses and subsidizing purchases.
For starters, Line Pay offers 10-20% off the bill for users who pay using the app. Even BluePay is not far behind when they setup vending machines (known as BlueMart) all over Metropolitan Bangkok, offering drinks and snacks at only THB 1.00 (US$0.03).
What’s interesting is that Facebook is clearly moving in the direction of being more than just a social and advertising platform – but also a commerce platform (which in this case, extends beyond just one user selling to another). Could this be a prelude to Facebook introducing its payment capabilities?
Should we expect Facebook to function more like Wechat down the road? One thing’s for sure, we’ll be booking tickets through this platform, and getting ready some popcorns!