Instagram Is Shutting Down Live Shopping In March

Source: Instagram

Instagram will sunset live shopping next month. As of March 16th, creators and brands will no longer be able to tag products in their Instagram Lives. However, they still will be able to use other live-streaming features like Live In Profiles and Q&A. Like its announcement to remove the Shop tab, which went into effect this week, Instagram says its decision to sunset live shopping is so that it can focus on features that provide the most value to users.

Instagram's decision to shut down live shopping is not surprising, given its recent focus on streamlining its features and optimizing its value to users. Plus, Facebook live shopping was shut down this past fall. The inability of social media platforms in the U.S. to successfully implement live shopping, despite its popularity in Asian markets, also likely played a role in its decision.

Although Instagram has removed its live shopping feature, other platforms like Amazon, TikTok, and YouTube are actively investing in this shopping experience. Amazon is currently recruiting more creators to host Amazon Lives. TikTok has recently partnered with TalkShopLive to expand its live shopping offerings. YouTube is gradually introducing new shopping features for YouTube Live.