Instagram will be removing the live Shop tab feature starting March 16

 

Instagram will be removing the live Shop tab feature starting March 16, which lets creators directly tag products and promote links in their live broadcasts. While the ability to tag links will not be available anymore, other live broadcasting features like scheduling a broadcast, inviting guests to join, and conducting a live Q&A session will continue to exist. The change is being introduced to focus on products and features that provide the most value to users, said Meta, the owner of Instagram. However, the company will continue to invest in the shopping experience within the Instagram app for people and businesses. Users can still post on other Instagram features such as feeds, stories, reels, and ads to promote their creations and businesses. The live shopping feature was introduced in 2020 to help small businesses increase their reach and connect to users via Instagram. The feature was only available in select countries, including Canada, the United States, and several others. In January 2023, Instagram announced changes to its navigation bar, including the removal of the Shop tab from the homepage, replacement of the button to create a new post, as well as the Reels button. Instagram will continue to offer the same live broadcasting features as before.