Facebook is trying to capitalize on the success of Messenger -- the app boasts a a billion users -- by adding to the app new capabilities that will make it possible to pay for goods and services. David Marcus, VP of messaging products at Facebook, that the company was working with a number of payment providers including PayPal, Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Stripe to implement the features.

Payments is a new feature of Messenger Platform v1.2, a significant update that offers more ways to drive engagement, build retention and facilitate relationships with people.

Desinged for developers and businesses, the platform supports messages with payments, that will allow businesses to sell products and services directly to customers in Messenger. Customers can check out with a few clicks, without ever leaving the Messenger app. Merchants will be able to onboard with a simple self-serve onboarding flow. Messages with payments - as well as payments through the enhanced Messenger mobile web view - will be available for some developers as a closed beta. Businesses and developers can apply to be included in this beta while Facebook is working to roll out this capability more broadly.

This month, Facebook has also begun to roll out Messenger as a destination for News Feed ads. When advertisers select Messenger as a destination for News Feed ads, they can use any call-to-action in their ad, such as "Shop Now" or "Learn more" to link to Messenger. All clicks on those News Feed ads will directly open up a Messenger thread.

In addition, starting today, Facebook is making it easier for people to share bots they discover. People can share individual messages with their friends by simply clicking on a share icon attached to a message bubble. This will be good for sharing products or various options with friends and asking for their opinion. Also they can share the bots that they love directly. Friends will receive a message with the bot name, icon and button that allows them to directly start a thread with that particular bot.

The updated Platform also includes a welcome screen that provides people with more information about the experience ahead. Businesses can customize their introductory text and people will now have more context to begin their interaction.