Snapchat may have released its video-recording sunglasses online, but that doesn’t mean it’s retiring its Spectacles kiosks.
Twitter users have spotted the re-emergence of the Snapbot vending machine on the Spectacles website. Sure enough, when you select “find a bot” you’ll be directed to a page that contains a laughing Snapbot animation with question marks that indicate a countdown could commence soon. And you know what that means?
Well, what does it mean? After all, the fact that Spectacles are now readily available to purchase online renders the Snapbot redundant — at least in the United States — right? Maybe it does, but there’s also the possibility that Snapchat (or, as it calls itself, Snap Inc.) still thinks the kiosks are the best way to provide customers with the device more immediately. The fact is, when you order Spectacles online you have to wait two to four weeks for the sunglasses to arrive. Plopping Snapbots in more locations would allow locals to grab the device instantly, and would continue to create word of mouth marketing.
Why is the @Spectacles Snapbot awake and laughing? It's not in a casket so something exciting must be coming soon.
— Rory Dowdell (@rory_dowdell) February 23, 2017
Anyone reading this outside of the United States is probably shouting at their phone or laptop: ‘what about us?’ Don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten about you — and it’s likely that Snap hasn’t either.
The exciting prospect for everyone else is that Snap could be about to launch its Spectacles in more countries. It wouldn’t come as much of a shock if it began introducing its device to more regions via a similar method to the U.S. rollout. For now, all you can do is wait to see what the timer reveals to be the Snapbot’s next destination.
But where’s the fun in that? Okay, well all that leaves is speculation. Now we’re talking. What if, at the end of the countdown, Snap reveals a world map, with Snapbots scattered in different cities across the globe? What cities could Snap target? It has offices in London, Paris, Dubai, Toronto, and Sydney — so perhaps it will start with those. We reached out to Snap for a comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
Snap, which is gearing up to go public next month, has given little indication of its international strategy for the device. Spectacles were conspicuously absent from its recent initial public offering roadshow meeting with investors in London. What we do know is that Europe is the second biggest region for Snapchat in terms of users (52 million people use the app across the continent). Snap also generates on average more revenue per user in Europe (28 cents) than the rest of the world (15 cents). Therefore, don’t be surprised if the playful yellow kiosks end up in London or Paris first.
Everyone else can rest assured that the start of a global rollout will inevitably result in more locations being added to the list, and a potential online retail option for worldwide customers. That way Snapchat fans everywhere can laugh along with the Snapbot.
This is a developing story — we will add more info as it is released.
Correction: This article originally stated Snapchat has 39 million users in Europe, the actual number is 52 million.
