Facebook to disable live shopping events from October

Facebook will disable users and retailers from hosting live shopping events from 1 October 2022, but broadcasting live events is still allowed. According to an official statement on Meta, users will no longer be able to host any new or scheduled live shopping events on Facebook starting from 1 October.

Product playlists or product tags will be barred on Facebook live videos, however users can still use Facebook Live to broadcast live events.

This move comes as Meta saw consumers’ viewing behaviours shifting towards short-form videos. Hence it plans to shift more focus to reels on Facebook and Instagram. In terms of live shopping features, Meta suggested that retailers can switch to Instagram’s Live Shopping function, if they wish to have a shop with checkout and host live shopping events.

Instagram decided to integrate a “Reels” and “Shop” tab on its home page back in 2020. According to Instagram, the Reels tab makes it easier for consumers to discover short, fun videos from creators all over the world, while the Shop tab gives them a better way to connect with brands and creators and discover products they are interested in.

Instagram also said it saw an “explosion” in short-entertaining videos on its platform, as well as an “incredible amount of shopping” moved online. According to CNBC, Instagram’s head Adam Mosseri also said the company will be placing ads in Reels. As for its shop tab, Instagram will reportedly be taking a slice of each transaction for purchases made through the app. However, all of this changes to Instagram has also seen a fair bit of backlash emerge for the company.

Most recently mega influencers Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner openly criticised the platform for trying to be like TikTok. Kardashian and Jenner both said on their story update that read: "Make Instagram Instagram again. (Stop trying to be TikTok, I just want to see cute photos of my friends.) Sincerely, everyone". Both individuals are influential voices on social media. Kardashian has 326 million Instagram followers while Jenner has 360 million.

In an official blog post, Instagram said it hasn’t updated its home screen in “a big way for quite a while”. However, with the changing ways of content creation and culture appreciation, Instagram said its biggest risk is that it does not change and becomes irrelevant.

“We’re excited about the new design and believe it gives the app a much-needed refresh, while staying true to our core value of simplicity,” the blog post added.

Instagram first launched its Shops function earlier in May. With Shops, users can visit a shop from a business' Instagram profile or through feed and Stories. Users can also browse products, explore collections and purchase products through Instagram’s in-app browser, without leaving the app from shops with checkout.

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