On Tuesday, The Information reported that Instagram was removing various commerce options from its app. Instagram announced Tuesday to its workforce that it was by eliminating the app’s Shopping page owing to “shifts in corporate objectives,” as reported by The Information. Instagram will soon be switching to a “Tab Lite” shopping page that will be less personalized.
These alterations are in line with “a new NorthStar and goals for the commerce group that is more closely related to advertising income for Meta,” as Instagram explained to its employees in an internal document obtained by The Information. (Instagram is now owned by the company Meta Platforms, which was once known as Facebook.)
According to an email from a Meta representative to Insider, “Commerce is crucial for Instagram as we continue to make it simpler for consumers to discover and shop things throughout the app from feed, stories, reels, and innovations like live shopping and drops.”
According to a letter released on Tuesday, The Information reports that on Wednesday the firm will begin rolling out a public test of its app, which will introduce users to the “Tab Lite” version of its shopping website. According to The Information, there are tentative plans for the platform to remove the link to the current shopping tab sometime in March 2023.
This shift away from shopping on Instagram is part of a larger, company-wide reduction in commerce-related efforts. The internet firm reportedly warned employees earlier this summer that it was delaying a number of planned commerce capabilities.
According to The Information, some of Meta’s investments fall into these categories: its “Friends & Family Shopping” section, community-driven shopping projects, visual search, and “creative commerce” within Instagram shopping.
The fact that Instagram has become a popular place to purchase is not going to change anytime soon. “We remain committed to the objective of making Instagram the best place for consumers to find and buy things from businesses and artists they love,” a company spokesman told The Information.
