Instagram, one of the most popular social media platforms in the world, came up with a radical decision about a month ago. In the official statements, it was stated that the “Store” tab on Instagram would be removed. Now, there has been a parallel development. Instagram announced that this time it will remove the ability to sell products in live broadcasts.
In a post shared on Instagram’s official support page, it was stated that the feature called “Live Shopping” will be disabled as of March 16, 2023. Stating that this will not affect the shopping experience on Instagram, Instagram stated that business accounts can continue to sell products through their profile pages.
Instagram’s official description is as follows:
“Starting March 16, 2023, you will no longer be able to tag products in live streams on Instagram. This change will help us focus on the products and features that provide the most value to our users. As we continue to invest in shopping experiences for people and businesses across Feed, Stories, Reels, ads and more, You will be able to set up and continue to operate your store on Instagram. Other live streaming features such as scheduling a live stream, inviting guests to join your live stream, and editing live Q&A will not be affected by this decision.”
These moves are an indication that Instagram is actually trying to get back to its core.
When Instagram was first launched, it was just a social media focused platform. However, over the years, this situation has changed and Instagram has started to serve in various categories such as shopping. As such, Instagram has moved away from its essence. Being aware of this situation, Instagram boss Adam Mosseri also made statements on the subject and said that Instagram would return to its essence.