Instagram is always evolving, for better or for worse, and it looks like in its most recent test, the platform is making changes to the navigation bar, removing the Shop tab for some users. Users that can see the change have reported that the Shop tab has now been replaced by a Notifications tab.

While Instagram has not publicly announced the test, Meta spokesperson Anne Yeh spoke with The Verge and confirmed that the changes were part of a limited test being conducted by the platform. Yeh stated that the test was part of Instagram's "continued work to simplify" the experience. With the test currently live, Yeh stated that the change had been rolled out to a small number of people but didn't provide specific numbers.

Instagram added the Shop tab roughly two years ago during the pandemic when online shopping was at an all-time high. The feature gave creators a new way to connect with users. Creators, brands, and small businesses were able to offer products for sale, giving users the ability to instantly purchase goods that showed up in their feeds. The Shop tab also offered personalized recommendations, editor's picks, live merchant streams, and more. While there's no telling how successful the Shop tab was for creators or Instagram, it is now clear that the firm is looking to move in a new direction.

These changes come despite the firm offering improved shopping features over the past two years. More recently, Instagram debuted the ability for users and merchants to conduct sales through direct messages. Although the Shop tab has now been relegated to a sub-section found in the settings menu for those in the test, Yeh states:

Commerce remains important for Instagram as we continue to make it easier for people to discover and shop products throughout the app from feed, stories, reels, and innovations like live shopping and drops.

While the current removal of the Shop tab is just a test for limited users, according to The Information, the Shop tab will eventually be completely removed by 2023, replaced with a shopping experience that will be less personalized. Like any feature update, Instagram will continue to evolve its offerings, so it still remains to be seen whether this change will roll out to all users in the near future.


Source: The Verge