Instagram announced that it will be making some changes to its bottom row menu, most notably dropping the controversial Shop tab, where users could find items from businesses specifically suggested for them to check out and buy right in the app.After only 2.5 years on the bottom row menu, Instagram is changing things up again. But why?

Instagram Is Dropping the Shop Tab

The Shop tab appeared on the bottom row menu of the Instagram app in July 2020. Instagram had also changed its menu around to have a Reels shortcut in the center that replaced the shortcut to post photos.

In a January 2023 announcement from Meta, which owns Instagram, the company stated that they will be basically undoing these changes, adding the post button back in the center and throwing out the Shop tab. The change will go out to users in February 2023.

Why Is the Instagram Shop Tab Getting Dropped?

The Shop tab was controversial since its introduction. Many users felt that it was changing the original purpose of Instagram from sharing photos with friends to being a platform to advertise and sell products.

There is not much suggesting the Shop tab was successful either. A report from IMF suggests that social media commerce peaked during the lockdowns of the pandemic, which is when Instagram introduced the Shop tab, but this type of commerce has since fallen back down.

So, the Shop tab may just not be useful to Instagram users anymore.

Can You Still Shop on Instagram?

You will still be able to shop on Instagram using the in-app shopping and checkout features. However, there just won’t be a shortcut to shop on the bottom row menu. There will still be links to shop in ads and on business posts and profiles.

Shopping Is Changing on Instagram

Social media e-commerce is still a new and ever-changing concept, so we are likely to see Instagram and other platforms continue to try new things for their users to see what works. While the Shop tab is going away, there will still be many ways for users to find new products to buy on Instagram.