Meta announced at Shoptalk 2026 that it will begin testing an AI-driven shopping experience on Facebook and Instagram that surfaces product details, brand information, AI-summarized user reviews, recommended products, and potential discounts in a pop-up after a user clicks an ad. The experience then presents a one-tap checkout built with Stripe and PayPal, with Adyen and Shopify integrations planned. The advertiser is in control of which checkout partner they use.
Bloomberg reported earlier this month that Meta was testing a product research experience inside of its chatbot, and it's easy to see how this AI shopping experience could go hand in hand with that. Given the trove of data that Meta has on its users, including which ads they've clicked on and what products they've purchased, Meta has the potential to create the most accurately personalized shopping experience on the web. Even its ability to cater its AI-summarized product reviews and discounts is unmatched, as it knows which talking points can drive home the sale for each user and how price sensitive they are.
Meta is also expanding its affiliate program for creators, adding Amazon, eBay, and Temu in the U.S., Mercado Libre in Latin America, and Shopee in Asia on Facebook, with Amazon and Shopee affiliates coming to Instagram later this year. Retail partners will be able to choose which products they want featured and set the commission rates for sales that the creator receives when someone buys through their account. Instagram Reels creators will additionally gain access to product catalogs from businesses across 22 countries to help them find and feature shoppable products in their videos.
Smart moves all around by Meta. They're a decade late in my opinion, but smart nonetheless. Rather than go the TikTok Shop route and build their own retail environment and checkout experience, which they've failed miserably at doing in the past, they're going the partnership route — which fits perfectly with their advertising model.