Lyra Martin Tech 08.03.2022 20:Aug PM EDT

Facebook is Ending Its Live Shopping Feature — Until When Will It Be Available?

Facebook will no longer provide live shopping, but Instagram will as the platform focus on Reels in response to the changing consumer watching habits.

Live Shopping Will go on Facebook but Stay on Instagram

Facebook is discontinuing live shopping, a service that allows artists to broadcast and sell goods to an audience in a manner similar to QVC. According to Facebook, the function will be formally discontinued on October 1 as part of the company's attempt to move attention to Reels.

The firm notes that it is concentrating on Reels on Facebook and Instagram, Meta's short-form video product, "since customers' viewing patterns are moving to short-form video." Live shopping will no longer be an option on Facebook but will remain on Instagram.

Live shopping gave Facebook developers access to a new source of income when it was first introduced in Thailand in 2018. Influencers may showcase and sell a range of items during their live shopping events, either from their store or via an affiliate.

In 2020, around the time it unveiled a specific shopping tab, Facebook expanded the feature's availability. Live shopping is still quite popular in China, but it doesn't appear to have caught on elsewhere. Even TikTok stated that it curtailed live shopping in the US and Europe last month.

Live shopping's demise shows Facebook's increased devotion to Reels, a short-form video tool launched last year. Meta, Facebook's parent company, has updated Instagram's algorithm to make it more like TikTok. All Instagram videos are now Reels, like Facebook, boosting short-form content.

Longtime Instagram users worried about the concentration on Reels. Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri was met with backlash after announcing the service would become video-centric, forcing Instagram to take back several changes.

TikTok Might Exceed Facebook in Influencer Marketing Spending

Instagram may be worried about TikTok's impact, but it still dominates influencer marketing expenditure in the US Instagram is anticipated to spend $2.23 billion on influencer marketing in 2022, double TikTok's $774.8 million.

However, although Instagram is doing better compared to TikTok in this regard, Facebook, another program from Meta, is not doing as well.

According to the most recent information, which experts provided at Insider Intelligence (formerly eMarketer), TikTok is currently on course to surpass Facebook in terms of influencer marketing expenditure this year and to surpass YouTube, the No. 2 platform, by 2024.

In comparison to Facebook's $739.0 million, YouTube now sees influencer marketing spending on its platform in the US of $948.0 million. The survey also mentions that TikTok has already surpassed YouTube regarding marketer use for influencer-based marketing.

Instagram has been progressively altering its algorithm and feed to favor creator content, suggested posts, and advertising, despite objections from users who want to see more of their friends' images and videos. However, as Instagram changes how content is ranked in its main feed, some artists are concerned that continual adjustments may hurt their reach.

After complaints from two Kardashians last week, Instagram rolled back recent changes that turned the app like TikTok with a full-screen main page and more recommended posts. Changing Instagram's algorithm to spotlight more small artists might hurt the Kardashians.