YouTube has recently partnered with ecommerce enabler Shopify to integrate live shopping on the streaming platform. The feature will allow eligible creators to link their Shopify store to their YouTube channel and to feature their products on their channels.
With this, content creators as well as merchants will be able to directly connect with their audiences on the YouTube platform, while monetizing and building their business. The feature has been rolled out for the creators in the United States. Creators can start benefiting from the Shopify partnership by visiting the “Shopping” tab in YouTube Studio.
“The company is also introducing a new shopping destination in Explore for viewers in the United States, India and Brazil. The new shopping destination will feature relevant shoppable content for viewers in these countries,” YouTube said in a blogpost. Viewers from these countries can find the find relevant shoppable content. YouTube also plans to roll out the shopping destination to more countries later this year.
The partnership aims to leverage Shopify’s inventory syncing to enable creators to link their stores on their respective channels. Shopify has found research found in its research that more over 50 per cent Indian consumers will connect with brand-created content, including entertainment videos this year whereas nearly 48 per cent are expected to attend a live shopping event this year, as per reports.
Moreover, Shopify merchants will have the ability to sell their full range of products to YouTube’s users through YouTube Live, Shorts, and Video-on-demand content, including merchants tagging and pinning products at key points during a livestream. They can show a curated list of products in a product shelf below on-demand videos and a new tab will be added to a merchant’s YouTube channel, featuring their entire products selection.
Kaz Nejatian, vice-president of product at Shopify said,“we believe creators are the next generation of merchants, and YouTube has been a long-time leader in powering this new cohort of entrepreneurs. We’re excited to partner with YouTube, and help scale the creator economy into its next phase of growth.”
Earlier, Shopify has also partnered with TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and other social media platforms, seeing its profits go four time due to such partnership.
YouTube says to access its shopping features, creators need to have more than 1,000 subscribers or an official artist channel, not having a significant number of videos designated as made for kids, and the channel should be approved for monetisation.
