Meta have announced that from the 1st of October, Facebook Live Shopping will no longer be a feature on the platform. Brands will still be able to broadcast live but can no longer create product playlists or tag products in Facebook Live videos.
The unfortunate truth for Meta is that Facebook have had a less than perfect attempt at ecommerce, which has come at a price. It is possible that removing Live Shopping is their way of taking a step back from ecommerce on the platform.
Live shopping has for many brands become a popular way to sell, we are seeing more retailers offering it and it is a hugely popular in Asia. When it comes to video content, Meta’s platforms are having a hard time competing.
From the outside it looks like Meta are trying to meet user demands and follow trends based on the offerings of their competitors but are these attempts being viewed as unauthentic? In their Facebook Live Shopping announcement Meta stated that as consumers’ viewing behaviours are shifting to short-form video, they are also shifting focus to Reels on Facebook and Instagram, Meta’s short-form video product. Will this anger brands and businesses who relied on Live Shopping whilst further adding to frustrations that the platform are trying to be like ‘TikTok’?
If you are a brand using social media platforms as a business aid, Meta have asked users to try experimenting with Reels and Reels ads on Facebook and Instagram. Here users will be able to tag products in Reels on Instagram to enable deeper discovery and consideration. If you have a shop with checkout and want to host live shopping events on Instagram, you can set up live shopping on Instagram.
