Meta is diving headfirst back into social shopping — with an AI twist.
The tech giant announced a slew of new shopping-related updates on Tuesday at the e-commerce conference Shoptalk, including affiliate marketing tools and AI-powered product recommendations.
Creators are a core part of Meta’s rollout.
Here’s a quick rundown of the shopping features Meta is pushing:
- Affiliate marketing is back. Instagram creators can earn a commission from products tagged on reels, while Facebook creators will be able to earn from products tagged on reels and photos.
- Get ready for more detailed product descriptions on Facebook and Instagram, thanks to AI. Meta is trying to make shopping a little easier for consumers by using AI to surface more information, such as reviews or product details, if a user clicks on an ad.
- Checking out is getting a makeover, too. Facebook is rolling out a new, streamlined way to purchase items from ads with a one-click “buy now” button. Advertisers can select a checkout partner such as PayPal or Stripe. Some early businesses enrolled in this experience include 1-800-Flowers, Fanatics, and Quince.
- Advertisers can get more granular. Meta is allowing advertisers, specifically retail media networks (like Target, Walmart, or Amazon), to choose specific products from their catalogs instead of running broader campaigns. Brands can also leverage Meta’s AI to recommend what content format the product appears in, such as a story, reel, or carousel.
Meta’s pitch to brands and advertisers is that these tools will not just drive awareness, but also more clicks and purchases.
The company reported that its ad impressions increased 18% year over year in the fourth quarter.
Return of the affiliate
The new affiliate experiences differ slightly between the two Meta apps.
On Instagram, creators can add products directly from Meta’s brand catalog to their reels. Influencers can also add outside URLs, such as third-party affiliate links from brands or platforms like LTK and ShopMy, but only if the product is in Meta’s catalog already. Creators are capped at 30 products per reel, and any link must point to a single product, not a collection. Eligible creators — who must be at least 18 years old and have at least 1,000 followers — will soon see an “add products” option in their app.
Meanwhile, on Facebook, creators can include shoppable links to their reels or photo posts and earn a commission. Facebook’s “affiliate partnerships” program will launch in partnership with two major retailers, Amazon for US creators and Shopee for creators in select Asian markets. Facebook teased that it would add more partners, including Mercado Libre, Temu, and eBay.
Commission rates are set by the brand partners for both apps.
This isn’t Meta’s first rodeo with a native affiliate marketing program.
In 2022, Instagram sunset a test that allowed some influencers to earn a commission on products tagged in their posts. The beta program lasted about a year.
Recently, Meta caused a stir among influencers after a “Shop the Look” feature was spotted in some creators’ content, but didn’t pay commissions on any sales driven by that content. The frustration felt by influencers encapsulated a broader tension right now between Big Tech, AI, and creators.
Meta told Business Insider that “Shop the Look” was an ongoing test and that it is fielding feedback as it continues to develop the product.
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