Apple has previews plans for a new business chat application in iMessage, allowing users to have a text conversation with merchants to discussss potential purchases and process payments from the same screen.
Business Chat is set to launch in Beta with the public availability of iOS 11.3 this spring.
Apple has lined up support from Discover, Hilton, Lowe’s and Wells Fargo for the roll-out.
Says Apple: "With Business Chat, it's easy to have a conversation with a service representative, schedule an appointment or make purchases using Apple Pay in the Messages app. Business Chat doesn’t share the user’s contact information with businesses and gives users the ability to stop chatting at any time."