A number of Vietnamese brands are closing their Instagram accounts and issuing urgent announcements.

Many fashion and technology shops in Vietnam have simultaneously announced that they will temporarily stop responding to messages on Instagram following recent changes from Meta.

Many shop owners direct customers to hotlines or other platforms if they need product advice. (Illustrative photo: Phuong Lam)

For nearly six years selling Apple phones on Instagram, Le Duc Son, the owner of the Fire Apple Man fanpage with over 17,600 followers, has considered this platform to be the most important "money-making" channel for his store.

Speaking to Tri Thức - Znews , Mr. Sơn said that the platform, owned by Meta, is not only for posting product photos or answering customer inquiries, but also a place to create a small community of young people who are passionate about technology, have clear consumer tastes, and are willing to chat for hours about each model and color variant.

"I found my ideal customer base on Instagram," he said.

However, with Instagram experiencing a series of messaging-related errors, spam, and account restrictions recently, Mr. Son, like many other online shop owners, is understandably worried.

The seller was anxious.

It's not just Mr. Son's store; in recent days, the online business community on Instagram and Facebook has been abuzz with reports of numerous fashion , cosmetics, and technology brands in Vietnam sharing that their accounts are experiencing messaging errors, losing the ability to send messages to strangers, or having features restricted, even though they were functioning normally.

Accounts such as Insane, Kido Studiowear, and Joie Des Roses Studio... simultaneously posted urgent announcements regarding spam, security vulnerabilities, and the risk of account suspension.

Many brands have stated that they have been forced to temporarily suspend responding to direct messages (DMs), disabling the feature that allows them to receive messages from strangers.

Mr. Son said the store was forced to issue an urgent notice about the product information exchange mechanism to avoid the risk of having accounts locked. Photo: Provided by the store .

Ms. Minh Anh, manager of a local women's brand in Ho Chi Minh City, said that customers who message her for product information via Instagram account for nearly half of her shop's online revenue.

"Customers here are usually groups who buy based on personal aesthetic preferences, so they ask very detailed questions. If we respond slowly or lose messages, the chances of losing an order are very high," she said, adding that the store constantly receives feedback from customers that they haven't received a reply message even though staff have responded previously.

Meanwhile, Quoc Huy, the manager of a tech accessories store in Hanoi , said that what worries sellers the most right now is the risk of accounts having their features restricted for no apparent reason.

Given that Instagram is considered a crucial customer outreach channel for many fashion, cosmetics, and technology brands, an unstable messaging system can directly impact both revenue and customer experience.

Many shops are now having to switch to a multi-channel sales model, proactively directing customers to other platforms, calling hotlines for advice, or using e-commerce sites to avoid being completely dependent on Instagram and Facebook during Meta's system adjustments.

How will Meta's policy change affect online shops?

According to The Verge , the reason for the strong reaction from the Instagram selling community recently is related to Meta's new changes to the messaging and security systems on the platform.

Notably, Meta officially stopped supporting end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for Instagram messages on May 8th. This feature, which had been in beta testing since 2023, aimed to increase user privacy by allowing only the sender and recipient to read the chat content.

In an article published in March, The Verge quoted Meta spokesperson Dina El-Kassaby Luce as saying that the company decided to discontinue E2EE on Instagram because "very few people used" the feature. Meta also recommended that users who need encrypted messaging switch to WhatsApp, which still maintains E2EE as the default.

Meanwhile, The Guardian noted that Meta's decision also stemmed from increasing pressure from child protection organizations and law enforcement agencies in the US, UK, and Europe. Many agencies argued that end-to-end encryption makes it more difficult to detect fraud, harassment, or illegal activity on the platform.

Announcement of policy changes from Instagram.

MacRumors further reported that Meta did not make a big announcement about this change, but instead quietly updated Instagram's support page. After May 8th, conversations that previously had end-to-end encryption enabled will revert to standard encryption, meaning Meta will have access to message content for moderation, anti-spam, and system operation purposes.

While not significantly impacting ordinary users, Meta's new privacy policy is directly dealing a major blow to online shops that rely on Instagram's DM feature to close deals.

Firstly, there are operational flaws. Messages are constantly being hidden, notifications are delayed, or they end up in the spam folder, significantly reducing response speed.

For items like fashion, cosmetics, or technology, even a few minutes' delay can cause customers to switch to competing brands.

Secondly, there's the risk of losing business assets. Stricter algorithms have led to numerous accounts being mistakenly scanned, having messaging restrictions, or being temporarily locked due to "spam" violations. Shop owners are struggling with the risk of losing their long-standing accounts, which possess loyal customer bases and well-invested content, resulting in a significant drop in revenue.

Customer outreach has been disrupted, but most sellers remain cautious, waiting rather than reacting too drastically. Duc Son believes this is just a phase where Meta adjusts its system and chooses to adapt instead of panicking.

"The store has been affected, but it's okay. Business always has its ups and downs. Hopefully, things will be back to normal after some time."

Source: https://znews.vn/hang- loạt-brand-viet-dong-instagram-ra-thong-bao-khan-post1654237.html