Facebook announced in a blog post that it will be shutting down its live shopping feature on October 1st, and shifting its focus to Reels.
Starting that date, you can use Facebook Live to host broadcast events, but can no longer create product playlists or tag products in your Facebook Live videos.
In the blog post, the company explained that the shift is linked to changing consumer behavior, who now prefer short-form video. “If you want to reach and engage people through video, try experimenting with Reels and Reels ads on Facebook and Instagram. You can also tag products in Reels on Instagram to enable deeper discovery and consideration. If you have a shop with checkout and want to to host Live Shopping events on Instagram, you can set up Live Shopping on Instagram.”
Facebook first debuted live shopping in 2018, and last November, the company began testing “Live Shopping for Creators,” allowing creators and brands to cross-stream on both of their pages. Last summer, the company also launched “Live Shopping Fridays”, encouraging larger brands to try out live shopping. The program featured brands like Abercrombie and Fitch, Bobbi Brown, Clinique and Sephora.
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