Starting on October 1, 2022, Facebook will no longer permit users to hold live shopping events, according to a blog post by Meta. It will instead transfer its emphasis to Reels, Meta’s short-form video product that is accessible on both Facebook and Instagram, claiming a shifting demand for short-form videos among users as the motivating cause. In an effort to simplify online buying and give shops of all stripes the tools they need to expand their companies, Facebook introduced live shopping in August 2020. It offered an engaging opportunity to interface with viewers and sell products.

After the deadline of October 1, users will be able to broadcast live events using Facebook Live, according to the social media expert. Users won’t be able to add products to playlists or tag items in Facebook Live videos, though. The person who wants to connect their Instagram followers with a product fully should consider tagging it in Reels, according to Meta. The social media juggernaut did not specify regardless of whether Facebook Reels will include this function or not, though.

Facebook clearly is prioritising Reels

To counter TikTok, Meta has increased investment in its Reels product, which enables seamless video sharing between the two main platforms of the business. Instagram users first reacted negatively to the video feature, but it has grown in popularity. 11 of the top 20 Facebook posts in the fourth quarter of 2021 were short-form videos, according to the Integrity Institute, a social media think group. As a result, businesses now have the chance to use videos to categorise products, provide calls to action, and interact with their target market.

In order to enable users to sell goods through Facebook’s live streaming feature, the social media platform created Live Shopping back in 2018. At checkout, a tiny selling fee was additionally levied by the social networking site. Therefore, the concept of monetizing the feature existed at the time. The change occurs as Facebook continues to lose users in India, its biggest market worldwide, and has recently come under regulatory scrutiny.