American photo and video sharing social networking service Instagram has made a shift in how the platform treats e-commerce by testing home feeds without a shopping tab. According to The Verge, in recent days some Instagram users have noted that the shopping tab, previously on the bottom navigation bar, has been replaced with a notifications tab.
Meanwhile, shopping has been moved to a second menu, buried among options like settings and saved posts. Meta spokesperson Anne Yeh confirmed the changes as part of a limited test.Yeh said, “As part of our continued work to simplify your Instagram experience, we are testing a few changes to the main navigation bar at the bottom of the app with a small number of people,” reported The Verge.Moving the tab is a conscious decision on the part of Instagram as the company pivots away from shopping features. For the past few years, Instagram has added features like the shop tab in an effort to make the platform a place where users buy the products they see on their feed without leaving the app.Though plenty of users use the platform as a way to discover new brands and products, it’s unclear how successful the shopping page ever was.As per The Verge, Meta has still continued to roll out new features around shopping, including an update to messaging that allows business owners to handle customer service via DMs.