Snapchat is rolling out what it’s calling “Context Cards,” a new way for users to get information about the places from which people are snapping, presenting another local opportunity for advertisers in the process.
The new tool lets users swipe up to get more information on the physical location—or business—from which a snap was sent.
The function will work on both snaps from friends and on Snap Maps, the Snapchat-curated map of snaps of user-generated happening around the world.
The cards will include location data and other pertinent information, including menus, phone numbers, reviews, details on how to make a reservation, and the option to book a ride there.
Snap has partnered with a range of companies to provide information and services through Snapchat, including Uber, Lyft, TripAdvisor, Foursquare, Michelin, Goop, OpenTable, Resy and Bookatable. Snapchat currently is not monetising this function, but it’s easy see how this could increase the time users spend within the app; the Context Cards have the potential to make Snapchat more of a destination for users to plan and document their daily lives.
How to find Context Cards:
· To find Context Cards, swipe up on any Snaps that says “More” at the bottom.
· These Snaps include those tagged with the white, venue-specific Geofilters or any Snap that has been submitted to our public Our Story and appears in Snap Map or Search.
· The first Context Card that appears will contain basic information like the name of the place, category of venue (i.e. department store or restaurant), and partner’s rating, for example.
· Varying by type of venue and the information available about each location, additional Context Cards may include:
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Reviews from critics and customers
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Directions to the venue
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Hours of operation
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Phone numbers to contact
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Rides from ride-sharing services
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Reservations at restaurants
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Websites for more information
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More Snaps from around that area
· Which Cards are available and the order in which they appear is dynamic — we aim to always show you the most relevant information!
Partner Quotes:
Nicole Brown, Sr. Director Partnerships, TripAdvisor: “As the world’s largest travel community, TripAdvisor enables travelers to unleash the full potential of every experience. We are excited to partner with Snapchat to show consumers around the world how TripAdvisor provides travelers with the latest reviews – more than 535 million worldwide – and the lowest prices to discover the best places to stay, eat and play while at home or on the go.”
Mike Harkey, VP of business development, Foursquare: “The Foursquare community has created rich content for over 105 million places worldwide, and we’re thrilled to share this location data with Snap through the new context card. It’s a great way to offer contextual relevance to curious Snapchatters, and we think they’ll love using them to explore the world.”
Elise Loehnen, Chief Content Officer, goop: “Travel is one of our most popular verticals, and a natural extension of Gwyneth’s impetus for starting goop: to create a place where readers can find recommendations from a trusted friend, not from an anonymous, crowd-sourced engine.”
Ann Bordetsky, Head of Product Partnership, Uber: “Snap’s innovative integration is another way that Uber connects you with friends and all the experiences your city has to offer. We’re excited to continue our partnership with Snap and keep the magic of discovering cities top of mind for each other’s users.”
Catherine Porter, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Business Development, OpenTable: “In partnership with Snapchat for their new Context Cards feature, we’re excited to be offering a new way for Snapchatters to book thousands of our restaurants that they see in Snaps. We know the simple act of swiping up on a Snap to reserve a table will provide an experience that our diners and restaurants will love.”
Evan Spiegel spoke at the Vanity Fair summit last week about making a personal map from virtual experiences. You can watch the interview here. Maps discussion is at 19:47 – the full transcript is below the player on the site.