'Pa-mine' no more? Meta to discontinue Facebook Live Shopping feature in October

Facebook is shutting down its Live Shopping feature on October 1, according to the social media network's parent company Meta. 

In a blog post last August 4, Meta said that the move is part of its plans to shift the focus on its short-form video feature, or Reels, as the "viewing behaviors" of its users, as well as those of photo-sharing app Instagram, are shifting to this video format.

"If you want to reach and engage people through video, try experimenting with Reels and Reels ads on Facebok and Instagram," Meta said. "You can also tag products in Reels on Instagram to enable deeper discovery and consideration."

According to the tech conglomerate, online sellers on Facebook will no longer be able to host any new or scheduled live shopping events once September ends. You will still be able to use the feature to broadcast live events but without e-commerce features such as product playlists or product tagging.

Facebook soft-launched its live commerce program in 2018 and made it available to the public in 2020. It allowed retailers to sell products in an interactive way and, at the same time, granted Facebook revenue with the small selling fees applied at checkout. 

Its removal from the site is part of Meta's plan to beef up its e-commerce offerings this year. According to a Reuters report, the company announced last July 20 that it is adding a payment feature to Instagram direct messages. The feature will allow the app's users to buy directly through chat, as well as track their orders easily.