Most of us would agree we’ve made a purchase thanks to something we saw on TikTok or Instagram, from influencer-content to the slew of advertisements we see daily. Meta, parent company to Facebook and Instagram, is helping brands and retailers push our collective consumption further, with a bunch of new, AI-powered updates.

Some of these new tools come to Meta’s Advantage Suite, built for businesses to improve their ads. Now brands can “optimize” their videos, creating multiple variations of an ad so they’re more personalized to each user. There’s also an option to deliver product recommendations to a person based on their timeline, using branded videos or customer demonstration videos.

An example of an advertisement made with Advantage+ catalog campaigns.
Credit: Meta.

AI-based tools, which are increasingly being implemented by retail giants, are another addition: advertisers can now include external links to new products and sales in their Reminder ads, which have been around since 2023 and allow advertisers to send notifications around “upcoming moments.” Alongside this, brands can highlight promotions and help people apply valid promo codes through Facebook and Instagram ads.

Finally, advertisers will be supported via Meta’s AI to show people specific products at the centers of their catalog ads, using a tool called Advantage+ catalog campaigns.

Basically, shopping is being increasingly prioritized by social platforms — a decision that definitely supports advertisers but may also be tiring for consumers. Meta found that 79 percent of Gen-Z users on Instagram have purchased a product after viewing a Reel. For better or worse, social media is coming for more of your time, and of your money.