Meta Platforms is rolling out a new suite of shopping and advertising tools built around AI, short-form video, and creator-led content, as it seeks to strengthen the connection between product discovery and purchase across its platforms.

The update reflects a broader shift in how users engage online, where discovery increasingly happens through creators, short videos and personalised recommendations. The company said AI is already playing a central role in surfacing relevant content and helping businesses convert that attention into measurable outcomes.

At the centre of the rollout is a stronger push toward making creators a direct part of the commerce funnel. On Instagram, creators will now be able to tag and link products directly within Reels, enabling viewers to transition seamlessly from inspiration to purchase without leaving the content. Businesses in multiple markets, including India, will be able to share product catalogues with creators, effectively turning influencer content into a sales channel.

Meta is also expanding tools that help brands identify and collaborate with creators. Enhancements to its creator marketplace introduce more advanced audience targeting, enabling businesses to match with creators based on campaign goals and expected performance.

On the advertising side, the company is growing its Reels inventory by introducing new content categories such as entertainment, travel and finance. This allows brands to place ads alongside trending content and cultural moments, where user engagement tends to be highest.

AI is being positioned as the backbone of these updates. New capabilities include automated product selection for retail campaigns, where advertisers can choose to promote specific items and track performance at a more granular level. Another feature allows marketers to upload a single image or video, with AI automatically generating product carousels if it predicts stronger results.

To address the growing demand for video content, Meta is expanding its generative AI tools. Advertisers will be able to create video ads using avatars, translate voiceovers and on-screen text into multiple languages, and adapt campaigns for different markets without rebuilding assets from scratch.

The company is also testing tools that convert product catalogues into video ads at scale. These features aim to reduce the manual effort required to produce video content while improving performance through more dynamic formats. Early tests show that video-led catalogue ads and Reels placements can drive higher conversion rates compared to traditional formats.

Taken together, the updates signal Meta’s intent to build a more integrated commerce ecosystem, where AI-driven personalisation, creator influence and video-first formats converge to shape how users discover and shop for products.

Vikas Chawla, co-founder, Social Beat, “Partnership Ads has been an exciting feature for brands and creators alike - it creates a flywheel where creators get amplified reach, brands get authentic content that actually converts, and agency partners like us can measure creator ROI with business outcomes. It improves Reach, Relevant and Result tracking - It's moved influencer marketing from a brand-building line item to a broader marketing channel.”

Niti Kumar, CEO, Spark Foundry, added, “Reels is where India's culture is created and consumed. Pioneering the latest Meta Reels Trending Ads campaign showed us the immense power of being part of that daily conversation. We are excited to roll this product out across our clients – driving authentic engagement, cultural relevance, and exceptional business value at scale.”

Sadhvi Dhawan, VP - media, Blink Digital, said, “The challenge for every brand has always been showing up at the right moment with the right audience with a guaranteed SOV. Reels Trending Ads solve for that we're now part of the conversations consumers are already having, from entertainment to travel to finance. The performance uplift has been hard to ignore, and with new categories rolling out, we see this as a key growth lever in our media strategy for our clients.”