Meta announced a broad set of updates to its livestream shopping tools, aimed at driving more purchasing activity directly within live broadcasts on Facebook and Instagram. The company also introduced changes to its AI-driven ad systems designed to improve audience response to in-stream promotions.
As per Meta:
Now, leading into the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, we’re making more of those moments shoppable with new live video ads to drive awareness of shopping streams, expanded affiliate partnerships to help creators earn commission from tagged products, and faster checkout via virtual cards.
Meta is expanding live video ads to Instagram for the first time and launching them globally on Facebook. This comes inspired by a feature Facebook has offered in limited form for some time. The updated format includes livestream promotions linking directly to active broadcasts. It also has in-stream product tabs that connect viewers to purchase options on external sites. This gives broadcasters more tools to convert audience attention into sales.
To support that shift, Meta is partnering with live commerce platforms including CommentSold, Firework, LiveMeUp, Sprii, and TalkShopLive to power shopping promotions during livestreams. New live shopping tools on Facebook will let marketers display a curated selection of promoted products during a broadcast. It will allow viewers to browse items, check pricing, and discover products without leaving the stream.
Meta is also rolling out support for virtual cards, enabling shoppers to generate temporary, one-time card numbers linked to their existing Mastercard or Visa accounts. The company said this approach allows transactions without requiring shoppers to share their actual credit card details with businesses.
On the affiliate side, Meta is expanding its creator marketing partnerships significantly. Facebook creators in India will gain affiliate access to Flipkart, while creators in Brazil and Mexico will get Mercado Libre.
Lazada will soon become available to Facebook creators across Asia, and Flipkart will extend to Instagram creators in India as well. These partnerships let creators embed affiliate product links directly into Reels and Feed content. These will earn commissions when followers discover and purchase products while browsing. Meta said creators in 22 countries can now add affiliate links or tag products from a business’s catalog directly on Instagram. This follows a similar US affiliate expansion in March that added Amazon, Shopee, eBay, and Temu.
“Businesses can make their catalogs discoverable for creators to search and tag, and creators can add affiliate links that direct people to specific products,” Meta said. “When creators feature products in Reels and Feed, people discover and purchase products while browsing, and creators can earn commission through the affiliate links they share.”
Finally, Meta is changing how it uses product data in sales campaigns. It will now allow its AI system to automatically assemble the best-performing ad for each viewer. The company plans on using advertiser-submitted product data and creative assets. Now, advertisers will not have to manually select between ad formats.
