On Oct. 1, Facebook is shutting down its live shopping feature, according to a statement by Meta. Users will no longer be able to host shopping events on the site, create product tags or playlists in videos. Instead, Meta will focus on its short-form video product, Reels, citing shifting viewer behaviours.
The announcement comes after Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian, who together wield over 680 million followers on Meta-owned Instagram reposted a critique of the app’s redesign, which shifted its algorithm to prioritise short-form videos and content suggestions from accounts users aren’t already following. “Stop trying to be TikTok,” the post read, prompting a response from Instagram chief executive Adam Mosseri explaining the strategy and Instagram’s plan to continue to prioritise video and discovery
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Who Is Actually Livestream Shopping?
Live selling via streaming video is a smashing success in China but has yet to catch on with consumers in Europe and the US due to several pain points.
