Shop directly from videos? Now you can with YouTube Shopping
Ever catch something on a video and instantly think, "I need that"? Or feel the urge to buy everything in your favorite creator's latest haul? Well, online shopping just got a significant upgrade.
YouTube and Shopee have teamed up to make shopping directly from videos easier than ever. Called YouTube Shopping, the feature allows users to shop straight from the videos—whether they're vlogs, shorts, ads, or live streams. The platform now allows businesses and creators to promote products directly within YouTube content.
YouTube said Shopee "played a big role in building the digital economy in Southeast Asia, helping people to set the stage for online shopping."
"Shopee has been an incredible player. They've really created the foundation of the digital economy," said Sapna Chadha, the Vice President of Southeast Asia and South Asia Frontier in Google Asia Pacific during a press event attended by PhilSTAR L!fe.
"In Southeast Asia, we've been partnering with them for quite a while. They've played a big role in helping us co-create [in the Philippines] and really bring this product vision to life, and so as a strong partner, they [played] the most natural role for us; they also have the most relevant and largest reach, engagement and share in the market in the Philippines," she continued.
Ryan Morales Reyes, a.k.a. Ninong Ry, a chef and Filipino food vlogger, underscored that this new feature can help his audience, especially when tagging where to buy ingredients featured in his recipes.
"Mas malaking help 'to sa audience ko in the sense na gusto nila sigurong magamit yung mismong ingredient na ginagamit ko rather than just to say kung ano 'yung ingredient na ginagamit ko. Pwede kong ilink sa kanila yung listing kung saan ko talaga nabili," he told L!fe.
He added, "Actually bilang consumer din ng content, naglolook forward din ako sa ibang content creators na gusto ko rin bilhin yung mga ginagamit nila, for example kay Erwan."
To learn more about how YouTube Shopping works, read below.
YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program
The YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program allows eligible creators to promote and tag products in their videos, shorts, live streams, and descriptions.
This is another way to monetize their channel, as viewers can click these product tags and shop instantly—without ever leaving YouTube.
Likewise, the program complements the existing monetization tools, including Ads Sense Revenue, YouTube Premium Revenue, Channel Memberships, Super Thanks, and Super Chat.
Ultimately, if a viewer purchases through the featured link, content creators can earn a commission. The brands get exposure, viewers get convenience, and creators get paid.
To sign up for the program, follow the instructions below:
- Download YouTube Studio.
- If your channel is eligible, you will see the option to join the affiliate program.
- Click on the Shopping tab, then select "Join Affiliate Program." After that, click on "Turn on."
- Read and accept the program's terms of service. From that, you can start tagging your videos.
- To search for and tag products in your content, click the plus icon to select them. You can tag up to 30 products from various merchants in the video. Please note that you can tag both new and existing content channels.
Turning content into a digital storefront
As YouTube Shopping allows businesses and creators to tag products within their videos, viewers can instantly access product details, compare items, and even make purchases while watching—no app switching required.
This means advertisers can now reach fans right where they're already watching, turning curiosities into easy purchases.
"Brands can use long-form content and short-form content. They can actually build the same product feeds into their campaigns to reach new customers," Chadha said.
