Instagram will no longer allow creators to tag products in live streams starting in March, the company announced on tuesday. “Starting March 16, 2023, you will no longer be able to tag products in live streams on Instagram,” the company said. wrote on an Instagram support page. “This change will help us focus on products and features that provide the most value to our users.”
The change marks the next big step for Meta to move away from live shopping. The company will remove the shopping tab from the Instagram home feed in February and shut down Facebook Live shopping in October. However, shops on Instagram are not going away completely. “You’ll still be able to set up and manage your store on Instagram as we continue to invest in shopping experiences for people and businesses through feeds, stories, Reels, ads, and more,” Instagram says. And other live streaming functions are not affected.
Many tech companies have invested heavily in live shopping features similar to QVC due to the huge popularity of live shopping in China. But while Meta is taking a step back, other social platforms are still working on shopping tools. TikTok began testing its in-app purchases feature in the US in November, for example, and is reportedly working on live purchases in the US as well. YouTube allows creators to sell products directly on the platform thanks to a partnership with Shopify. And Amazon’s live shopping platform has a ton of streams. you can look right now.
