Instagram will abandon the "Shop" tab! Focus more on content to compete with TikTok!

It is learned that on January 9, Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram platform, announced that Instagram will abandon the shortcut of the "Shop" tab in the bottom bar. Starting in February, the tab will include "Home", "Search", "Create", "Reels" and "Profile" buttons.

The idea, according to the executive, is to simplify Instagram and focus the platform on what they set out to do: encourage people to express themselves, help them discover things they like, and build connections between users and the things they discover.

The Shop tab has been part of the bottom bar since mid-2020, when the social network replaced the Activity feed with shortcuts. The platform seeks to make the user experience more direct and concise in the creation and consumption of content, without focusing too much on purchasing products and services from the app.

Previously, the Create button was in the center of the bottom bar, but it has been replaced by the Reels button and relocated to the home page, next to the notification shortcuts, or integrated with the camera, accessible by dragging right in the feed.

“While the Instagram Shop tab will be removed, you will still be able to set up and manage your shop on Instagram. We’ll continue to invest in shopping experiences that add more value for people and businesses across Feed, Stories, Reels, and more,” the social network explained on a support page.

The removal of the "Shop" option is not surprising. Last September, Instagram tested the app's home screen without the shortcut. At that time, there were reports that Instagram would remove the "Shop" option.

Users can still sell on Instagram

Instagram product advertising tools like product descriptions, direct links to shopping sites, and dedicated sales pages will remain on the platform, they will just no longer be available through a separate tab.

However, it is unclear whether this situation will last for a long time. In recent years, Instagram has shifted its focus significantly to competing with TikTok, leaving multiple products and projects behind. At the same time, Reels has gained more attention and IGTV has been permanently retired.

Perhaps the platform is abandoning the sales area and focusing more on connecting merchants and consumers, rather than acting as an interactive showcase.

According to the report, the “Big Tech” group, which includes Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta (Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp) and Alphabet (Google), has lost $3.901 trillion in market value in the past 12 months. In the case of Meta, advertising revenue declined in the second and third quarters of 2022 compared to 2021.

Editor ✎Estella/

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