The parent company, Meta, is shutting down Facebook’s live shopping feature on 1st October, after its release in 2018. This feature allowed influencers and creators on Facebook to host live shopping with their followers.

Since its release, this feature revolutionised what it means to be a creator. For the first time, creators became retailers, selling all kinds of merchandise to their followers, and in parallel Meta was leaning towards the affiliate marketing business model for its e-commerce vertical, but it didn't play out well for instagram due to the many complaints they were getting,so unfortunately for many creators, this feature will soon be buried come 1st October. 

Not all creators were able to make use of these feature since it has been part of a testing project only available for certain creators, and if you never managed to see it, this is how it looked like:

An example of how influencers use the tagging feature.

In a Tuesday blog post, Meta confirmed: “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".

It isn’t bad news! especially for e-commerce platforms like Offscript, which will be left as the only way for influencers to curate and sell products directly on instagram. The fact that the instagram feature is being taken down, means you must do things differently as a brand, be you a business owner, an influencer, or a creator.

If any creator wants to continue selling clothes directly on Instagram now, they will have to sign up on platforms such as Off script, allowing them to have their own curated shop directly on their feed.

On the other hand, brands who want influencers to sell their products directly on their feed, will also have to onboard these platforms, so the influencers can link their products to their feeds, like in this example: 

Credit: Henrietta Fromholtz.

How This Affects Brands

The emphasis on Reels raised concerns among long-time Instagram users who have come to know the app as a way to share photos with friends. Brands, on the other hand, are wondering what this change means to their marketing endeavors. 

Instagram CEO, Adam Mosseri, disclosed to users the platform would become video-centric following a shift in consumers’ viewing behavior, and this is expected to help brands:

• Increase in website traffic
• Building better relationships with customers
• Shortening customer’s journeys
• Increased user engagement
• And also a competitive advantage.

Now, brands will need to grow their following through a different means: Instagram Reels. With Reels, you are merely positioning your brand for wider exposure and increased engagement. That is because this form of video content is perfect for keeping the attention of targeted audiences.

The added features of music and text make it even more entertaining, no matter how boring the information you’re sharing. Other benefits that Reels offer to brands also include:

• Getting content on the Explore Page
• Save more time when creating content
• Showcases brand personality
• Multipurpose content across other platforms, etc.

Do you think Meta has made the right decision? Who will benefit mostly of the situation? Let us know what you think, and don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter below to never miss out on anything.

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