YouTube recently unveiled its latest shopping features, empowering creators to effortlessly curate shoppable collections, optimize their shoppable videos, and efficiently monetize their older content.
The introduction of the new features coincides with TikTok Shop’s aim to compete with YouTube Shopping and other rivals in the industry. TikTok is looking to significantly expand the scale of its TikTok Shop U.S. business, with a target of reaching up to $17.5 billion in revenue this year.
“Shopping Collections,” a new feature from YouTube, allows creators to handpick products from their favorite brands, giving users a convenient way to explore and discover them. Creators have the option to choose from a variety of products that align with a specific theme, like a natural makeup look or a minimalist wardrobe. The collections will be displayed in a creator’s product list, store tab, and video description. Upon launch, creators will have the ability to create collections using the Studio app on their mobile devices. YouTube is preparing to roll out the feature on desktops in the near future. 
Furthermore, YouTube is introducing a new Affiliate Hub within its app, providing creators with a convenient way to access details on the most up-to-date roster of shopping partners, competitive commission rates, and promo codes. Creators will also have the opportunity to utilize the hub to request samples from renowned brands. YouTube aims to streamline the process for creators to strategize their upcoming shoppable videos.
YouTube is now incorporating Fourthwall, a website builder that assists creators in constructing online stores, into its roster of integrated platforms. By enabling users to integrate their Fourthwall shop, YouTube is streamlining the process of creating and overseeing their content within YouTube Studio. YouTube has existing integrations with Shopify, Spreadshop, and Spring.
Last year, YouTube introduced new features that enable creators to efficiently tag products throughout their video library. These tags are based on the products mentioned in the video’s description. YouTube is now extending this feature to all creators in the shopping category. The company highlights the potential for creators to generate increased revenue from their older content, especially if it continues to attract significant traffic.
As part of Tuesday’s announcement, YouTube shared that users viewed an impressive 30 billion hours of shopping-related videos in 2023. The platform experienced a significant 25% surge in watch time for videos that assist individuals in shopping on YouTube.
