Facebook will end “Live Shopping” by Oct. 1st. Is this good or bad news for Online Businesses?

Meta has announced it’s throwing in the towel on its Facebook Live Shopping feature which it created in response to the pandemic, and allows business owners broadcast and sell products to an audience.

In a blog post the company mentioned that the feature will officially shut down on October 1st, after which users will no longer be able to host any new or scheduled Facebook Live Shopping events.

“Facebook Live will continue,” the company said, “but you won’t be able to create product playlists or tag products in your Facebook Live videos.”

The reason behind Meta’s decision isn’t farfetched. “As consumers’ viewing behaviors are shifting to short-form video, we are shifting our focus to Reels on Facebook and Instagram,” the post said, suggesting users try tagging products in Reels on Instagram as a possible substitute.

The social media giant, however, notes that users will still be able to use Facebook Live to broadcast live events, but won’t be able to create product playlists or tag products in your Facebook Live videos.

This ought not to be a surprise!

Over the past few years, Facebook has been experimenting with live shopping implementations as part of a larger effort to capitalise on growing eCommerce trends.

When the pandemic was at its worst and physical stores had to close due to social distance regulations, online sales skyrocketed, increasing already established trends towards in-app purchases.

However, as the lockdown policies have subsided, demand for eCommerce has also decreased.

Platforms like Pinterest have suffered as a result of having to reevaluate business goals in light of changing consumer preferences, or at the very least, to scale back to the mean in terms of typical eCommerce growth.

It’s interesting to note that Facebook is not the only platform pulling the plug on live shopping. After experiencing mixed results with the service in the UK, TikTok recently stated that it would not be bringing TikTok Live Shopping to the US.

What does this mean for companies that use Live Shopping? Short-form video content, such as Reels and Reels advertisements, could be used to replace shopping streams.

“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,” Meta advised.