Instagram to remove shopping tab from home feed in Feb

Soon, Instagram users will have a revamped navigation bar on their home feed. Starting next month, Instagram will delete the shopping tab from the main bar at the bottom of the screen, and the button to create a new post will move to the bottom. The Reels tab, which is currently front and centre of the navigation bar, will take the place of the Shop tab.

In September, Instagram began testing a main feed without a shop button, saying it wanted to "simplify [the] Instagram experience" for users. But the test was part of a larger turnaround by Instagram, according to a report by The Information, as the company retires its shopping features. Still, the company says that shopping will still be a part of Instagram, even without the prominent shortcut in the home feed.

"You will still be able to set up and run your shop on Instagram as we continue to invest in shopping experiences that provide the most value for people and businesses across the feed, stories, reels, ads and more," the company said in an article posted to its support page.

Instagram, like other platforms, has invested in shopping tools to try to get consumers to buy in-app. Personalized product recommendations currently fill Instagram's shopping tab, which The Information reported last fall would eventually disappear. Instagram did not say what would happen to the custom shopping page after the revamp next month.