YouTube Shopping turns the largest video platform in the world into QVC on steroids
YouTube is one of thehottest platformsfor product reviews which help us make purchase decisions. Creators can provide affiliate links in video descriptions and in-video banners to encourage purchases, which usually net them a commission. Mimicking Facebook and its subsidiaries, YouTube is introducing creator marketplaces afteryears of development. Under the new YouTube Shopping banner, you’ll soon be able to purchase products recommended by reviewers and creators you trust.
YouTube says itsnewest partnership with Shopifywill let creators place products more prominently on the platform, such as on their channel, at the end of videos, and during live streams. This means you won’t need to leave YouTube if you want to pick up the endorsed items. Eligible creators will also be allowed to tag products during live streams — a valuable feature for streamers in markets such as China, where real-time shopping is on the rise.
The Shopify integration will make YouTube’s storefront checkout a breeze, plus real-time inventory syncing ensures you know whether there is stock left to buy. On-site checkout is limited to those in the US for the foreseeable future, but YouTube Shopping is being rolled out for viewers in the US, Brazil, and India starting next week. The storefronts will be accessible in other countries later this year.
YouTube imagines this new direction for the platform will make product launches and e-commerce more engaging. Notably, you won’t need to hunt for these strategically placed product links and banners across a creator’s channel and videos. YouTube is also introducing a new Explore tab where you can see all the shoppable content tailored according to the content you consume.
For creators, YouTube says it is building a new Shopping tab into YouTube Studio. Here, your favorite video creators will be able to fine-tune product placement and tagging across their channels. The Live Control Room feature will unlock real-time product tagging in live streams. The platform assures creators thatlinking their Shopify storefrontto YouTube Studio is relatively straightforward.
The Google-owned video platform isn’t the only one trying to help creators monetize their efforts conveniently through e-commerce channels. Social media giants such asInstagram, TikTok, andWhatsAppare also at various stages of creating e-commerce channels for creators.
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