By installing a new Shopify connection on Youtube, the internet company is expanding the business opportunities for content creators, like influencers and brands. Up to now, Youtube creators were able to promote and sell products in live videos on Youtube – but for the purchase transaction, a change of platforms was necessary for the user. This is history, at least (for the moment) in the U.S.
The Youtube mother company, Google, has announced new tools within YouTube studio’s “shopping” tab with which users can link their Shopify store to their YouTube channel and manage how their products are tagged and appear across their channel. Additionally, creators can now access live shopping features, like the ability to tag products to a live stream directly from the live control room. Creators who link their stores can display their products across their channels and benefit from Shopify’s real-time inventory syncing, so that viewers are never disappointed to find a product out of stock. And creators in the US can enable onsite checkout, so that viewers can complete their purchases without leaving YouTube, for a more seamless shopping experience.
While the tool is launching in the U.S., YouTube has announced plans to roll the system out internationally within a few weeks.
According to the German business magazine Handelsblatt, the operation might be viewed with concern at Amazon headquarters. A study that Youtube has run in partnership with Publicis and TalkShoppe showed that 89 percent of viewers think YouTube creators give recommendations they can trust.
“Shopify is the commerce infrastructure of the internet, powering millions of independent businesses all over the world. We believe creators are the next generation of merchants, and YouTube has been a long-time leader in powering this new cohort of entrepreneurs. We’re excited to partner with YouTube, and help scale the creator economy into its next phase of growth,” comments Kaz Nejatian, VP of product at Shopify.
