A Snapchat update rolling out this week may not be good news to the handful of Snapchat users in developing nations where in app-purchase has not been a huge success so far. The company is introducing two new features and one of then will involve users digging into their pockets and it is called paid replays. The other feature is a selfie-altering mode called “Lenses.”
We have written before the reasons why most people don’t use Snapchat, one of them is that there is a 24 hour duration to view snaps before they expire. With the new update, the app will allow users to purchase extra replays at a cost of $0.99 (UGX 3,600) for every three. This is understandable for the developers of the app as they have to find away to monetize it, but on the other hand they have blocked their potential next billion users with this in app-purchase strategy. Luckily, this doesn’t apply to Stories, which last 24 hours, which are already replayable, and this is Snapchat’s most widely used feature. I guess the Snapchat story makers can still rejoice, for now.
Would you pay to replay a video? Well, Snapchat thinks you can as its replay feature gives them a third stream of revenue, including the money it makes on its Discover partnerships and the ads it places in its sponsored Snapchat Stories. Using in-app purchases to generate revenue has proven to be a powerful model when it comes to mobile apps, and this move could be just the first step for Snapchat.
There is also a new Lenses feature that allows users to appear as a Terminator killer cyborg by placing the T-800’s iconic red eye (and other scars) over their faces. With Lenses, as you line up your selfie, you’ll be able to press and hold on your face to activate a panel where you can pick different Lenses.
