YouTube today announced that it is launching several new shopping features for both viewers and creators. Specifically, YouTube announced a partnership with Shopify that allows creators to sell merchandise in their videos. Approved creators can link their Shopify store to their YouTube channel starting today.
With this partnership, creators who have connected their store can offer a variety of products on their channel and sync them with the Shopify store in real time. US creators can use the on-site checkout feature so viewers can make purchases without leaving YouTube. You can take advantage of the Shopify partnership by visiting the Shopping tab in YouTube Studio.
The company is also introducing a new shopping section for viewers in the United States, India, and Brazil. The shopping section will feature products for viewers in those countries. YouTube plans to roll out the shopping service to more countries this year.
YouTube also announced that all approved creators can access online shopping features, such as the ability to tag products in a live stream directly from the Live Control Room.
Finally, the company is introducing new tools in the Shopping tab in YouTube Studio to help creators easily manage how their products are displayed on their channel. YouTube said it knows creators spend a lot of time managing their products, so it wants to make it easier for them to manage their YouTube stores and market products directly to their audiences with these new tools.
The launch of the new features comes as YouTube works to transform its platform into more than just a place to shop. Among the new features:
- the possibility of advertising products;
- the ability to make purchases while watching videos;
- the ability to offer products directly from live broadcasts organized by content creators.
A few weeks ago, the company announced new features that it said would make it easier for viewers to find and buy products from brands. For example, one new feature would allow two content creators to broadcast live at the same time, offering the same products for purchase. This could double the number of viewers, since each creator would bring their own audience to the broadcast.
Another new feature is what YouTube is calling "on-the-fly transition", which will allow content creators to start live streaming purchases on their channel and then redirect their audience to the brand's channel so fans can continue watching there.