YouTube is to introduce shopping features to its video feature “Shorts” service, according to Reuters. The streaming service is also testing new commission schemes for influencers who sell products through links in videos. The feature is initially being tested with eligible creators in the U.S. and will allow them to tag products from their own stores. “Viewers in the U.S., India, Brazil, Canada, and Australia can see the tags and interact with them, and we’ll continue to bring tagging to more creators and geographies,” a Google spokesperson said.
According to the Financial Times and management consultancy McKinsey, the global market for purchasing on social networks (“social commerce”), including YouTube, TikTok and Meta, is expected to grow to more than $2 trillion by 2025, with the most success so far being had in China.
It remains to be seen whether, in addition to content creators, the feature could become a lucrative revenue source for brands.
