The big news from Snap this week is yesterday’s formal Specs launch. But more relevant for the Localogyverse is an overshadowed move the company made with a new social-local function. Known as Snapchat Plans, it’s a new set of features for creating, managing, and sharing local outings with friends.
Under the category of local mapping and event planning – an ongoing side quest for Snap – Snapchat Plans lets users establish events or nearby meetups (think: pub crawl). Once established with a time and a place, they can send invitations and track RSVPs. Think of it as a cross between Evite and Snap Map.
But perhaps a better comparison is Partiful. For those unfamiliar, it’s an increasingly popular event planning and digital invitation tool that all the kids are using these days. Like Partiful, Snap says Snapchat Plans is well suited for things like birthday parties, sporting events, playdates, and study sessions.
Snapchat users start by creating a Snapchat Plan, including title, date, and time. They can invite up to 200 Snapchat friends who can then RSVP, chat directly with the organizer, or come back to the Plan anytime to see updates. Guests can also view the attendee list, set reminders, and change their RSVP.
But beyond standalone functionality, Snap hopes to weave Snapchat Plans throughout the app. For example, on a given Snapchat user’s profile, other users can see the upcoming Plans they’re signed up for (if permissions are set accordingly), and see any common Plans they may share with another user.
Mapping with a Twist
Stepping back, Snap’s latest move aligns with its evolutionary path that we’ve been tracking for almost a decade. Centered on Snap Map and sitting under the broader social mapping heading, the opportunity is around mapping with a social twist. It’s all about finding places and activities through social signals.
Those signals add a valuable layer of relevance around one’s local outings. There can be a greater gravitational pull to go somewhere if your friends are there, or have been there. The latter (past tense) opens the door for recommendations and reviews whose social-graph connections boost trust.
All of that in turn offers a foundation for monetizable interactions, such as local business promotions in the map interface. And that’s precisely what Snap has done through its Promoted Places offering in Snap Map. This combines core elements of Snap’s DNA – social and ad revenue – so it’s a natural direction.
This is still a greenfield opportunity given that mapping incumbents – Google and Apple – don’t offer that social layer (Google has tried a few times). Meta is chasing this opportunity too, given Instagram Map, but Snap has the most momentum. And it indexes high with advertiser-coveted Gen-Z users.
All of this is bearing fruit, considering comments on recent Snap earnings calls. Its Q1 earnings call for example, heavily emphasized the growth in SMB advertisers on Snapchat. All of its efforts with Snap Map are driving those outcomes, and the latest addition of Snapchat Plans could jolt it even further.
