Apparently, Snap Inc. wants to offer people the ability to share content beyond the Snapchat app, so it's developing a feature called "Stories Everywhere" for them to do exactly that.
Not only will it make Stories more widely distributed, it could also help boost Snapchat's presence beyond mobile platforms such as iOS and Android, the only two places where the app can be used currently.
It's also a way for Snap to keep up with the competition: Facebook has been copying Snapchat's core features and putting them into products it owns, including Messenger, the main Facebook mobile app, Instagram, and even WhatsApp.
Those platforms have tons users combined, and for some of them, it's simply much more convenient to use Facebook's own version of Stories instead of using Snapchat as well. This is why Snap's business is hurting because most people are migrating to Facebook and neglecting Snapchat's appeal.
Snapchat Is Hurting
Since going public in earlier this February, Snap has had to deal with waning user growth and declining revenue, and the company had an abysmal performance on the third fiscal quarter of this year as it continued to reap disappointing figures.
As a result, Snapchat has been entangled in an identity crisis of sorts, reinventing itself quite a few times just to appeal again to old users plus entice newcomers to join the bandwagon. Near the end of November, Snap launched a redesigned Snapchat app that was more user-friendly than the previous iteration. It included a new Discover feed where users could get news and entertainment from different publications or outlets.
Of course, a design overhaul, while significant, doesn't ensure user growth. That's why Snapchat wants to experiment with putting Stories on the web. According to a report from Cheddar, the Stories Everywhere feature would be akin to Twitter's embed feature. The hope is for users to see these Stories and be convinced to try out the app or return to the app if they'd used it before.
Why Stories Everywhere Would Give Snapchat An Edge
Should it work well, Snapchat will have a slight edge over the competition, as Facebook doesn't offer users the ability to share Stories on the web. That is, of course, until Facebook copies Snapchat yet again, which they most certainly will. Why stop now?
The feature is reportedly still in the early stages of development and won't be coming anytime soon.
What do you think of Stories Everywhere? As always, feel free to sound off in the comments section below!
