YouTube Shopping sounds unfamiliar, right? But isn’t it interesting if the platform allows you to shop directly from the platform without switching sites? The shopping feature recently introduced in India exactly allows you to do that.
We’re bringing our YouTube Shopping affiliate program to India!
🛍️ Tag products from merchants like @Flipkart & @Myntra in your content
💸 Earn revenue from product sales
🕐 Add timestamps to help fans shop products at the right time
More here: https://t.co/1iyQgFAHu4 pic.twitter.com/Y6fgDart0n
— TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) October 25, 2024YouTube as a Marketplace
The ad revenue recorded a third consecutive quarter of decline in the first quarter of 2023, with the ad revenue dropping 2.6% year over year to $6.69 billion. This has affected the creators as well, who have reported a drop in ad revenue of up to 90%. This drop is attributed to the platform’s new policy that favors larger stars over smaller brands and a stricter policy of cracking down on duplicated content. It is in this scenario that the Shopping affiliate program offers an additional stream of income to creators who can earn from their viewer’s purchases on Flipkart and Myntra.
Moreover, according to Travis Katz, the General Manager and Vice President of Shopping for YouTube, looking at YouTube as a marketplace will enable creating pathways for creators and has been behind the promotion of this idea.
Eligibility Condition for content creators interested in YouTube Shopping
The feature is available to creators from the platform’s Partner Program and not to those who are creators of content marked as Made for Kids. In addition to that, the channel must not be a music channel or an Official Artist Channel or associated with music partners in order to be eligible. The channel must have more than 10,000 subscribers.
Features of the YouTube Shopping Affiliate Programme
No distraction
This is a feature that helps creators earn profits by tagging products and promoting products directly from Flipkart and Myntra. By tagging products and incorporating them directly within their videos, shorts, and live streams, they not only make the products accessible but allow users to shop directly without leaving the platform. This absence of distraction is expected to ensure a good number of views.
Additional Revenue Stream
Moreover, this feature is an additional source of revenue for the content creators as they can profit from the commission earned from the purchase of their tagged product. This is seen as an important step taken by Google-owned YouTube to empower its creators. In addition to subscriptions, Ads, Brand Connect, super thanks, super stickers, and channel memberships, the Shopping Program becomes another revenue-generating stream.
Authenticity
YouTube is one of the most popular social media platforms, and its popularity is evident from the fact that in 2023 alone, over 30 Billion hours were spent watching shopping-related videos on the platform globally. This shows the viewers’ interest in seeking recommendations from their favorite content creator about the product they decide to buy. Building on this trust, the shopping feature brings viewers authenticity as they now get direct access to the product from the channel of their favorite influencers.
Opportunity for Brands
According to data provided by the platform, over 65% of Indian consumers rely on creators’ recommendations instead of trusting traditional advertising. Capitalizing on this aspect, the shopping feature is expected to gain popularity. Directly linking Flipkart and Myntra products through tagging them in videos and shorts offers a great opportunity for these brands to get their products in front of potential customers. Thus, this contributes to expanding the reach of the brands and helping evolve better relations between customers and the brand.
Seamless Shopping Screen
The feature also allows a seamless shopping experience for users by making products discoverable across every format. The platform is available on all devices and across all formats, ranging from long-form videos and Shorts to livestreams. Moreover, it is accessible from mobile, web, and Connected TVs, which amplifies audiences’ interactions with the content creators. Therefore, incorporating shopping features in the platform means a seamless shopping experience. It is this convenience that is sure to hold sufficient potential in terms of the growth of the platform and also contribute to enhancing consumer experience.
Expanding Opportunities for Creators
Previous shopping features allowed creators to promote their own merchandise by linking their own merchandise to the description box of their videos. This feature enabled them to create their own brands. Expanding on this, the Shopping Affiliate Program allows them to expand their merchandise to multi-brand retail and earn handsomely from this.
Other Countries that allow YouTube shopping Feature
South Korea was the first country to have launched the Youtube Shopping feature on June 2023.
Before India, other Asian countries allowed this feature, including Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam. The United States also allow this feature.
Considering the platform’s reigning popularity and dominance of shopping content, it is expected that the Indian market truly holds potential for the unveiling of the YouTube shopping feature. India’s rich demographic dividend with a median age of 28.4 years makes it a young country with a large working-age population, thereby establishing it as the largest growing market. In this context, the YouTube shopping feature has immense potential for success.
FAQ
1. What is the YouTube Shopping feature?
The YouTube Shopping feature is a new initiative that allows content creators to directly promote products from Flipkart and Myntra within their videos, shorts, and live streams. This feature provides a seamless shopping experience for viewers, allowing them to purchase products without leaving the platform.
2. How does the YouTube Shopping affiliate program work?
Content creators can earn a commission on sales generated through their product recommendations. By tagging products from Flipkart and Myntra in their videos, creators can drive traffic to these products and earn a percentage of the sales.
3. Who is eligible for the YouTube Shopping affiliate program?
To be eligible for the program, creators must:
Be a member of the YouTube Partner Program
Have a channel with more than 10,000 subscribers
Not have a channel that is primarily focused on music or kids’ content
4. What are the benefits of the YouTube Shopping feature for creators?
The YouTube Shopping feature offers several benefits to creators, including additional revenue stream, increased engagement and brand partnerships.
5. What are the benefits of the YouTube Shopping feature for viewers?
The YouTube Shopping feature offers several benefits to viewers, including:
Seamless shopping experience: Viewers can purchase products directly from YouTube without leaving the platform.
Product recommendations from trusted creators: Viewers can rely on the recommendations of their favorite creators.
Easy access to a wide range of products: Viewers can discover new products from various brands.
6. What is the future of YouTube Shopping?
The YouTube Shopping feature has the potential to revolutionize the way people shop online. As more creators and brands adopt the feature, it can become a major source of revenue for YouTube and a valuable tool for consumers.
