Shopify and YouTube Expand Video Offering to More Merchants

Thousands of additional brands that use Shopify can now make their products available for creators to tag in shopping-related videos on YouTube.

YouTube and Shopify have expanded their partnership to allow all eligible Shopify Plus and Advanced merchants in the United States to sign up for YouTube Shopping’s affiliate program through the Google & YouTube app on Shopify, YouTube said in a Tuesday (Aug. 20) blog post.

Via the expanded partnership, these merchants can join the hundreds of U.S. brands already participating in the YouTube Shopping affiliate program, according to the post.

For creators, the update will make thousands of new brands available to tag in their shopping content across YouTube, per the post.

YouTube also said in the post that it added a new Chrome extension that enables U.S. creators in the affiliate program to save products while browsing the site of a brand or retailer, making it easier to tag them in a video later.

The YouTube Shopping extension also allows these creators to see how much they would earn from tagging the product, without having to leave their site, according to the post.

“We’re thrilled to share these updates to YouTube Shopping as we continue to empower merchants and creators to collaborate more effectively and build thriving businesses,” Suyog Karnawat, product manager, YouTube Shopping, wrote in the post.

YouTube and Shopify first teamed up to allow creators and merchants to integrate Shopify stores with YouTube Shopping in July 2022, saying that these shopping functions would enable creators and merchants to feature products for sale via livestreams, videos and a store tab.

In another development in the shoppable video space, Amazon Live announced a new interactive shoppable channel called FAST Channel on Prime Video and Amazon Freevee in April. Featuring the eCommerce giant’s “shop the show” technology, this channel enables viewers to shop and engage with the content they’re watching.

Also in April, Paramount partnered with artificial intelligence-powered retail media platform Shopsense AI to integrate mobile shopping opportunities into its televised and streamed content. The solution is designed to help traditional entertainment companies hold their own amid the rise of commerce-integrated media.

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