Instagram plans to significantly scale back its shopping features as it looks to shift its focus from eCommerce to ad-based revenue.
As part of the shift, the company plans to eventually phase out its shopping page by March 2023, according to an internal staff memo shared with employees.
In the memo, Instagram told its employees that the changes reflect “a new Northstar and goals for the commerce organization that are more directly tied to advertising revenue for Meta.”
Over the coming months, the social media app will test a less personalized and simpler version of its shopping page, which it is internally referring to as “Tab Lite.” The public test of the Tab Lite version of the shopping page will begin on Wednesday.
The change in Instagram’s strategy comes at a time when parent company Meta is pulling back several of its commerce initiatives. A few months ago, Meta told its employees that it is putting several commerce-focused initiatives on the back burner, including “creator commerce” within Instagram, visual search tools, the “Friends and Family Shopping” section, and community-driven shopping projects, The Information reported.
While Instagram is scaling back its shopping features, it still plans to continue supporting shopping on its platform.
“We remain committed to the goal of making Instagram the best place for people to discover and buy products from brands and creators they love,” an Instagram spokesperson said.
