YouTube To Become A Major Shopping Destination With Online Shopping Feature

Google is planning to turn YouTube into an e-commerce hub. The primary aim is to convert the YouTube Videos into a product catalog item. Thus allowing viewers to buy directly from YouTube itself. The videos will enable “Click and Buy” thus transforming YouTube into major shopping websites like Alibaba and Amazon.

Covid19 has hampered marketing budgets. Specifically speaking physical retail stores and travels are the two major sectors that include Google as their main advertisers.

In the meantime, there is an upward curve in online shopping. In the pandemic, people were forced to stay home thus, it led to a rise in eCommerce. Facebook and Instagram became the primary hub of online shopping as the majority of the marketers were selling their products. Thus, it left Google watching the rivals doing great, leaving it a steady dip in the first-ever revenue decline in the second quarter.

YouTube New Feature – Shop Directly From Videos

Recently, a YouTube spokesman confirmed the news. It will be testing the new YouTube Online Shopping features. The YouTube creators will have complete control over their products and services. However, the spokesperson said that it is an experiment and still in the testing phase.

YouTube Live Shopping offers direct shopping links to the users to shop from the online platform. Furthermore, the feature allows the creators to create and add the products of the videos. Thus, viewers will be able to view the products and will be able to purchase the video itself.

The Spokesperson conveyed that YouTube has already started working with the creators, to sell their products directly from the online platform. The Video Giant had already asked creators to tag and track the products that are featured in the videos to get the real-time analysis.

As of now, YouTube has already offered a section below the description box where creators can list their products and services. Thus, this feature is linked to the original website which will redirect the user to make the final purchase.

Like we all know that YouTube already earns through ads. Thus, these YouTube Shopping features will be like another revenue generation medium for the company.

YouTube will add a “Shopping Bag” icon on the left corner bottom of the video. Thus, the viewers can click on the icon for more details about the product and make an informed decision to purchase.

However, this new testing feature of YouTube will be only available to the USA location. Moreover, only creators from the USA location will be able to use this feature, enabling their viewers to make a purchase. The feature will be available on iOS and Android apps, and its desktop app as well.

Furthermore, there is no word from YouTube that it will expand this shopping feature to other locations.

In Conclusion

YouTube Now Testing Shopping Features was being tested. Integrated with Shopify last October, Youtube began tapping the influencers totag the brands, products, and services featuring in the videos. YouTube is a high engagement platform which set apart from the other content forms. Therefore, adding the YouTube Online Shopping feature to videos makes it enticing for the brands. Still, in the testing phase, the marketer suggests that if executed well, these shopping features can help in retaining the viewers and witness an increase in its user base.