Facebook to shut down its Live Shopping feature; Know why

Facebook is shutting down Live Shopping, its QVC-like live streaming feature that allows creators to stream and sell products to an audience (via TechCrunch). The feature will officially shut down on October 1, and Facebook says it's part of the company's initiative to shift focus to Reels.

"As consumers' viewing behaviors are shifting to short-form video, we are shifting our focus to Reels on Facebook and Instagram, Meta's short-form video product," explains Facebook. While Live Shopping will be gone on Facebook, it will still be available on Instagram.

First launched in 2018 in Thailand, live shopping opens up another revenue stream for creators on Facebook. It allows influencers to host live shopping sessions where they can showcase and sell various products, either from their own store or through an affiliate. Facebook rolled out the feature on a broader scale in 2020 when it introduced a dedicated shopping tab. While live shopping is still very popular in China, it doesn't seem to have taken off in other parts of the world. Even TikTok announced that it would pull live shopping in the US and Europe last month.

But the live shopping shutdown also demonstrates Facebook's growing dedication to its short-form video feature, Reels, which it officially brought to the platform last year. Facebook has even considered making its algorithm more like TikTok, something its parent company Meta has already done with Instagram. Like Facebook, Instagram has been pushing short-form content a lot, with all videos on the platform now being turned into Reels.

The emphasis on Reels raised concerns among longtime Instagram users who have come to know the app as a way to share photos with friends. Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri was outraged after flatly telling users the platform would focus on videos, prompting Instagram to back down on some of its changes.