Meta partners with Amazon to let shoppers buy directly from Facebook and Instagram ads

Meta has collaborated with Amazon to introduce a new feature enabling users to link their Facebook and Instagram accounts to Amazon.

This allows users to shop for goods directly via the ads on their social media accounts by clicking on the promotions in their feeds; they can then check-out with their saved Amazon information without having to leave Meta’s platforms.

The one-time link set-up is intended to streamline both the shopping and purchase processes for Meta’s users.

An Amazon spokesperson said in a statement: “For the first time, customers will be able to shop Amazon’s Facebook and Instagram ads and check-out with Amazon without leaving the social media apps.”

The new feature has first been rolled out to customers based in the US on select Amazon product ads. However, this isn’t the first time Meta has attempted to expand into live shopping, having done so previously on both Instagram and Facebook but abandoning the endeavours to focus on serving ads.

Meta’s return to investing in a live shopping format may be due the strong ad revenue it enjoyed in 2024, subsequently raising its stock more than 160%. It cites investment in artificial intelligence (AI) technology as a key contributor to this growth, believing it to have significantly helped its ability to land retailers and serve customers targeted ads.

News of Meta’s deal with the e-commerce giant was first leaked by Maurice Rahmey, co-CEO of Disruptive Digital and a Meta and Google Ads partner, in a Linkedin post.

Rahmey said in the post that the partnership presents a significant opportunity for advertisers, believing its shared data enough to create a “true closed loop performance engine” and bypass any challenges presented by Apple's App Tracking Transparency policy.

But is this partnership truly as beneficial for advertisers as Rahmey says? Keep an eye out for PMW’s follow-up analysis of this news coming later this week, with expert takes from all corners of the industry.