Instagram has announced that it will be nixing its live shopping feature next month.
The photo- and video-sharing app said that from 16 March, creators will no longer be able to tag products in live broadcasts on the platform.
“This change will help us focus on products and features that provide the most value to our users,” the company wrote in a help centre post.
Other live broadcasting features, such as the ability to schedule a broadcast, invite guests to join, and hold a Q&A, remain unaffected.
Creators will also still be able to set up and run shops on Instagram. “We [will] continue to invest in shopping experiences for people and businesses across feed, stories, Reels, ads and more,” added Instagram.
The live shopping service launched in 2020 and, presumably, hasn’t done too well since. However, it marks another step in Instagram’s broader move away from ecommerce. Earlier this year, Instagram removing the shopping tab from its main navigation.
However, other social platforms are betting big on livestreaming as the trend, which started in China during the pandemic, has steadily grown to more mainstream appeal in western countries.
Amazon, TikTok, and YouTube all have live stream shopping tools and some creators are seeing impressive success.
