Global popular social media platform Meta (Facebook) has announced it is shutting down its live shopping feature as of October 2022, to further focus on the platform’s Reels. After the date, users will not be able to host any new or scheduled live shopping events on Facebook, but they will have access to Facebook Live to broadcast live events.

While users will still have access to comment sections during the live videos, hosts won’t be able to create product playlists or tag any products during their lives. A quick overview of Facebook Live shopping The company debuted the live shopping feature in 2018 and, ever since, has been testing different ways to make the feature seamless and popular. In November 2021, Meta started testing Live Shopping for Creators, a feature that allowed both brands and creators to cross-stream on both their pages instead of using a single page for the live session.

Moreover, the company launched Live Shopping Fridays initiative to encourage big brands to try out the new live shopping as a way to raise awareness and boost live shopping through the platform. The programme featured popular brands in the us, including Bobbi Brown, Clinique, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Sephora. Although successful, Facebook has decided to reconsider its entire live shopping strategy.

What’s in store in the future? As consumers’ viewing behaviours are shifting to short-form videos or “reels”, Meta claims it will focus its attention to them on Facebook and Instagram. Creators and brands who want to increase their reach and engage with customers in a lively manner can now opt for reel ads on both platforms and even experiment with tagging products in reels. Instagram e-stores can set up a Live Shopping session on Instagram and host live events with embedded shop with checkout process to deliver a seamless, user-targeted experience.

The latest news comes shortly after Instagram announced users can buy merch right from Direct Messaging (DMs). Following the trend However, it seems like Meta has joined the party a little late, as popular social media platforms for Gen Z, TikTok and Snapchat, have experimented with similar live shopping events for the past few years. Unfortunately, the overall adoption of live shopping sessions might have been a passing trend, as TikTok recently announced it is dropping plans to expand its ecommerce initiative to the US, as well as in additional parts of Europe.

The Chinese platform launched TikTok Shop in the UK in 2021, the first country outside Asia, and allowed influencers and companies to sell their products directly through QVC-style livestreams. At the same time, Snapchat continues to invest in AI technology that can successfully transform physical products into accurate 3D designs to allow customers to benefit from an enhanced live shopping experience. .