Instagram, Facebook get AI shopping features: What small businesses need to know

Meta reveals a sweeping series of AI-driven commerce updates at Shoptalk 2026 on Tuesday, March 24, alongside a new company-wide initiative focusing on boosting AI adoption among small businesses.

The social media giant announces new features, including AI-supported product discovery features across Facebook and Instagram that generate summarised user reviews, brand insights, and product recommendations when users interact with ads or retailer links.

The experience also includes AI recommendations where users will be able to interact with ads or retailer links. 

The experience involved AI-generated summaries of customer feedback alongside pricing insights and purchasing options.

Additionally, Meta rolls out an updated built-in checkout flow developed in association with Stripe and PayPal. 

This will enable merchants to handle fulfillment directly. The company also plans to integrate Adyen and Shopify and extend affiliate programs with Amazon, eBay, Temu, Mercado Libre, and Shopee.

Simultaneously, Meta also announced Meta Small Business, a company-wide initiative aimed at fostering entrepreneurship and AI usage. 

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, announced this, noting that small businesses are at the heart of Meta’s ecosystem, and Dina Powell McCormick and Naomi Gleit, who are both senior executives, will lead this initiative.