Meta expands live shopping ads and virtual card checkout to drive more purchases

Meta is expanding live shopping advertisements and introducing a virtual card checkout option across Facebook and Instagram to boost e-commerce transactions. The company is rolling out Live Video Ads globally on Facebook and introducing them to Instagram, enabling businesses to promote livestreams to wider audiences and facilitate direct sales from these events. In the United States, Meta is collaborating with live commerce platforms such as CommentSold and Firework to allow sellers to transform eligible livestreams into advertisements that can reach audiences beyond their existing followers. Facebook's Live Shopping Tools will permit viewers to browse products, check prices, and discover items for purchase without exiting the livestream. Beginning this summer, Meta will implement a virtual card payment system on Facebook and Instagram in collaboration with Mastercard and Visa. This feature will generate temporary, single-use card numbers linked to a shopper's existing payment card, allowing purchases without merchants directly accessing the customer's actual card details, a move Meta states is intended to enhance consumer trust and transaction security. Additionally, Meta is integrating product data more fundamentally into all Sales campaigns. Advertisers will provide both product feeds and creative assets, with Meta's AI automatically constructing optimized ads for individual users, utilizing product information like price and availability across various campaign formats to improve shopping experiences and performance.