Moneypenny will be able to suggest new things for you to buy and allow you to research new products and services from one place. It appears to be designed to make shopping easier and less time-consuming.
According to Business Insider, citing a report from The Information, Facebook is currently testing the new service internally. Moneypenny won’t be entirely digital and will rely on other, real users to provide recommendations for products to buy from within the app.
It is said to be most similar to services like Magic that allow you to text people things that you wish to buy. They then ship the products to you by whichever way possible.
It is unknown how Facebook will be arranging deliveries from Moneypenny. It could buy a fleet of vans and hire drivers or could rely on its users delivering products to each other, emphasising the social aspect of the social network.
Little else is known about Moneypenny. Features and availability are still wrapped in veils, as is the system that will be used to process user requests for products.
Moneypenny may be part of Facebook’s plan to make its Messenger service into its own platform. Recently, Messenger has seen updates to include features that allow for interaction with businesses, including placing orders and getting shipping updates directly from the Messenger app.
Facebook is expected to charge customers using the service, possibly in the form of a small commission on top of the cost of each ordered product. This is how similar services like Magic currently operate.
There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding Facebook’s incarnation of the iconic James Bond character. It remains to be seen how ‘Moneypenny’ will work as a digital shopping assistant and how Facebook is intending to pitch this new service. It follows rumours that Facebook may be working on other competitive offerings, such as a music streaming service to rival Spotify and Apple.
