Facebook Messenger Receives Gift-Giving Chatbot API

Gift registry solutions provider Jifiti announced on Tuesday (May 17) that its digital gift-giving chatbot API was approved for use with Facebook Messenger.

The approval will lay the foundation for the startup to have access to the brands and retailers that will be available in Facebook’s ecosystem through its chatbot initiatives, TechCrunch reported.

Last month, Facebook announced its plans to power advanced commerce tools for its Messenger service through its chatbot technology, which will enable its 900 million users to order goods and services within the app.

Chatbots will leverage advances in artificial intelligence to make the human-to-machine interactions inside of that ecosystem both conversational and natural, MPD CEO Karen Webster pointed out.

Jifiti CMO and Cofounder Shaul Weisband told TechCrunch that the startup’s core technology is aimed at breaking down the barriers that usually surround the gift-giving experience, for both senders and receivers of said gift.

For the sender, these barriers can include knowing the correct shipping information or sizing for the person on the receiving end. Through a Jifiti-partnered online merchant, senders can use an integrated “gift” button to select the gift they would like to purchase and send the receiver an email with the information.

The receiver then opens the email message and can view the item selected for them and access the web or app page where the gift was chosen in order to choose the correct size and enter their shipping details.

But if they decide they don’t actually want the item, they will be provided with a gift card for the estimated value in order to purchase something else.

It’s designed to be a win-win gifting scenario for both senders and receivers.

Via the chatbot API, Jifiti will be able to combine its gift-giving experience directly with the chatbot technology within Facebook Messenger.

Messenger has been working closely with brands like Uber and Lyft, allowing users to call for rides through the apps, and details around the virtual assistant, M, which Facebook says will compete with Apple’s Siri, would open up even more brand-integrated services, including travel arrangements and restaurant suggestions.