Culture
We don't need GIFs in Venmo transactions
Not every platform needs to be a social experience.
Venmo announced today that it’s adding animated stickers to the feed, thanks to a partnership with Holler. This week, users will begin seeing the option to add GIFs to their payment notes, with recommendations generated based on the details of your transactions. They’re cute, sure, but… why?
Personalization overkill — The social aspect of Venmo is already unnecessary and invasive as it is; it’s a payment app, after all, with some very sensitive personal information attached to it. The addition of GIFs feels like yet another attempted push into the social media space, where Venmo really does not belong.
In any case, GIFs are coming to Venmo on iOS and Android and will be updated continually with new designs from the Holler library. You can even submit your own ideas and sketches if you so desire.
The brands will love it — If there’s anyone who won’t be on the fence about Venmo’s latest feature, it’s big businesses. Per the announcement, branded stickers will be among the new offerings.
“Now, splitting a sandwich can become splitting the Veggie Delight from Subway, and a trip to IKEA can turn into a visual representation of the time spent roaming the aisles with your roommates to pick out furniture for your new spot,” the company said in a news release.
You know, because the hundreds of available emoji simply weren’t enough to choose from.
