Meta aims to harness the potential of AI to guide and possibly affect shoppers in order to boost sales on its social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.
During the Shoptalk 2026 conference this week, the technology leader revealed plans to pilot a new feature that enables users to access more detailed product information and a summary of customer reviews after interacting with an ad or browsing a website via Facebook or Instagram.
This new feature resembles Amazon’s implementation of generative AI to improve its product reviews, which was rolled out in 2023. Rather than forcing customers to sift through numerous reviews to gauge public opinion on a product, Amazon utilizes AI to condense the reviews into a concise summary presented on the product page.
Meta intends to apply AI similarly. In the updated pop-up feature that will display, the AI tool can provide a summary of “what consumers are saying” regarding the specific product. This summary may feature a short introduction followed by essential bullet points.
Moreover, within Meta’s applications, the function will also deliver additional general information, including insights about the brand, suggested products, possible discounts or promotions, and a button to add the product to the user’s cart found on each product page.
Subsequently, users will experience an improved checkout process developed in collaboration with payment service providers Stripe and PayPal, which enables customers to finalize their purchases with a simple tap. Meta mentions that it is also in the process of integrating with Ayden and Shopify, which will be introduced later.
Advertisers have the flexibility to choose their preferred checkout partner, ensuring that when a user clicks the “Buy Now” button, they can seamlessly complete their purchase and fulfill the order without leaving Meta’s app.
These modifications to the checkout process coincide with further enhancements to Meta’s product discovery functionalities and features.
This encompasses an update designed for creators, which provides them with a broader array of affiliate partners to collaborate with on Facebook, in response to increasing competition with TikTok. The affiliate newcomers feature brands like Amazon, eBay, and Temu in the U.S., Mercado Libre in Latin America, and Shopee across Asia.
Later this year on Instagram, Meta will also trial affiliate partnerships with Amazon (U.S.) and Shopee (Asia). Partners will select the products they wish to highlight and decide the commission rates for sales made through the creator’s account.
Additionally, creators on Instagram Reels will have access to product catalogs from businesses in 22 countries, assisting them in identifying products to showcase in their videos.