YouTube is expanding access to its social shopping tools to more creators, the company told Insider.
YouTube Shopping tools, first introduced in 2021, enable creators to tag products with shoppable links in and around their videos, live streams, and Shorts.
Earlier this year, executives told Insider that 1,000 creators in five countries (the US, Brazil, Korea, India, and the UK) and across four content verticals (beauty, tech, hobbies, and automotive parts) were part of the YouTube Shopping beta. Roughly 20 brands were involved at the time.
But new eligibility thresholds for Shopping are rolling out. By year's end, YouTube told Insider, members of the Partner Program in the US, UK, Brazil, and India with at least 20,000 subscribers will be able to tag their videos, Shorts, and live streams with shoppable links.
The new plans come ahead of the busy holiday shopping season, during which YouTube will be pushing on-platform shopping through a live event, dubbed "From YouTube To You," on November 10.
"This quarter, more creators will have the ability to tag products in their videos and Shorts," the company wrote in a blog post for Advertising Week.
Creators will only be able to tag products that are listed on the Google Merchant Center – a platform that lets companies manage how their products appear across Google, and also enables them to buy shopping ads.
When it comes to creators seeking to promote their own products, however, the requirements are a bit more lax. In July, YouTube jumpstarted this ability in a pact with Shopify that lets creators sync their channels with their Shopify accounts.
Shoppable tags for creators' own products aren't limited by geography, YouTube said, though creators must have at least 1,000 subscribers on a channel that isn't aimed at children. These tags are available on VOD and live streams, but not Shorts.
A new means of monetization for creators
While still nascent, Shopping could eventually mark a new means of monetization for creators. In July, YouTube told Insider it was experimenting with paying creators for tagging products via its so-called Creator Incentive Program.
While YouTube is paying creators on a per-click basis for engagement with their shoppable links, the model could pave the way for an affiliate program of sorts, where brands would pay creators commissions for sales transacted through their links.
"Our goal with this program is to help inform what we ultimately introduce for creators to monetize on Shopping long-term,"a YouTube spokesperson told Insider in July.
And as it expands access to tools, YouTube continues to promote on-platform shopping during buzzy events – most recently at its second annual Beauty Festival in June, where native creators and celebrities like Patrick Starrr and Tracee Ellis Ross showcased the latest drops from their respective brands, One/Size and Pattern Beauty.
November's "From YouTube To You" – the platform's second annual holiday shopping event, following last year's weeklong "Holiday Stream and Shop" — will feature livestreams, videos, and Shorts from the likes of Ulta Beauty and Tula Skincare, the company said.
