FreshDirect Adds Ordering via Facebook Messenger

Grocery delivery service FreshDirect has partnered with Mastercard to use Masterpass-enabled bots to drive more seamless shopping via Facebook Messenger.

The bots leverage artificial intelligence technologies to let consumers interact with the New York-based e-grocer, build their order and securely check out via the Masterpass mobile payments app, all without leaving the Messenger platform. Masterpass-enabled bots work across multiple verticals, from restaurants to retail, making conversational commerce frictionless while delivering a more personalized experience. The bots allow consumers to engage with brands in new places where they are already spending their time, as messaging apps and platforms such as Messenger currently represent many of the top 10 global apps used by billions of people worldwide. The bots will also support all Masterpass-enabled wallets from banks such as Citi and Capital One.

“We are thrilled to partner with Mastercard to deliver a conversational shopping experience, offering our customers a new option to seamlessly shop for groceries,” said FreshDirect CEO and co-founder Jason Ackerman. “As a food tech company, it’s our mission to keep fresh at everyone’s fingertips. By harnessing the power of Messenger, we’re able to engage with our customers on a platform that fits their lifestyle and allow them to easily shop FreshDirect, as well as collaborate on carts with family and friends.”

Earlier this year, Mastercard opened up its experimental Masterpass Chatbot API on the Mastercard Developers platform to help merchants begin to test the technology and enable commerce within their own branded solutions across multiple channels and digital platforms. Mastercard and Turkish mobile retailer Getir developed a Masterpass-enabled bot that allows consumers to shop and pay for more than 600 everyday items within Messenger, receiving guaranteed 10-minute delivery of their purchased goods.

FreshDirect is an online fresh food retailer that delivers directly to customers in the New York and Philadelphia metropolitan areas, as well as Washington, D.C.