Facebook Live Shopping going inactive in October

In a recent post by Meta, Facebook stated that now Marketers will no longer be able to host any new or scheduled live shopping events on Facebook.

They have also shared how this change has been made in response to the growing popularity of Reels and Reels ads on Facebook and Instagram.

“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.”

Users will have no problem broadcasting their live events on Facebook live, but they won’t be able to create product playlists or tag products in their Facebook Live videos.

The company has also mentioned –

“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.”

Adding to this, they have said that Live Shopping on Instagram will still remain.

Plus, If you want to preserve a previously live video, you can download your video on your Page or in Creator Studio.

Facebook Live Shopping was introduced in 2018, to offer a more interactive way to sell items, connect directly with the audience and gain potential customers in real-time.

However, this withdrawal does reflect people’s disinterest in live shopping. It is a huge trend in China but seems like people in other parts of the world are not taking it that well.
Even TikTok, reportedly, has dropped the idea of expanding its live e-commerce “TikTok Shop” in the U.S. and some parts of Europe.

With Meta crossing a $1 billion annual revenue run rate for ads on its TikTok rival short-video making platform Reels, this switch of focus – more towards reels, might actually be something that Facebook really wants at the moment.