Snapchat have announced some new features to their subscription service, Snapchat+, and have also released some information on how many users are now on the paid platform.
As announced on Monday 15th August by Team Snap via the Snap Newsroom, members of Snap+ will now have access to four new and exclusive features that are unavailable on the free version of the app.
The original way that Snap+ was presented to the public was to give subscribers more ways to customize their Snapchat experience, and these updates are in line with this messaging.
The four new features are:
- Priority snap replies: Allowing user story replies to be more visible to ‘Snap Stars’
- Post view emojis: Users can pick an emoji that they want their friends to see after viewing their content - a signature way to sign-off snaps
- New Bitmoji backgrounds: More unique settings to present Bitmojis with more flair. New backgrounds include ‘gleaming gold’ and ‘beach paradise’
- New app icons: New Snapchat app icons to choose from, allowing the user to customise their home screen
It’s obvious that none of these changes would be considered a ‘must have’ for any regular Snapchat user, but it is an indication of Snap's intentions to continue to grow this product.
After being launched just over 6 weeks ago in early July, there were question marks around the viability of asking their low-income core audience group (16-24-year-olds) to take up a paid subscription.
However, combining this with Snap’s first release of user information for the paid service along with their intentions to release more features would suggest that Snap+ is being considered a success so far.
In the same report, Snapchat announced that they have already generated over 1 million subscribers to Snachat+ across the 25 countries in which it is available.
At $3.99/month per subscription, this is an extra $4 million in revenue per month for Snapchat. Not bad considering that it only accounts for 0.29% of the entire Snapchat user base, giving them plenty of room to scale.
As mentioned, Snap also announced that they would be dropping more features in the coming months, adding to the eleven features already available to the paid users.
So what should we be expecting next from Shapchat+? It is likely we will be finding out sooner rather than later as they look to capitalise on their current momentum! Snapchat+ is now available in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, India, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, Switzerland, Ireland, Belgium, Finland, and Austria.
