YouTube Shopping was launched in India on Friday, as the Alphabet-owned video streaming platform expands monetisation options offered to video creators in the country. The affiliate marketing program was previously launched in countries like South Korea and the US, and the company says eligible creators will be able to tag brands in their videos. YouTube Shopping will work with two major e-commerce platforms in India at launch. It will be available on the web, mobile apps, and connected TVs (CTV) — for horizontal videos, livestreams, and Shorts videos.
YouTube Shopping Expanded to Creators in India
Starting on Friday, the platform says that video creators will be able to sign up for YouTube Shopping. Once a channel's application to join the affiliate marketing program has been approved, they will be able to tag products and retailers in their videos, Shorts, or livestreams. Viewers will be able to browse those products without leaving the video.
YouTube Shopping will display tagged products in videos and livestreams
Photo Credit: YouTube
When viewers click on links and make a purchase on the retailer's website — YouTube says it has partnered with Flipkart and Myntra — the video creator will earn a commission on the viewer's entire purchase, according to the company. The commission rate for various products will be displayed during the tagging process, and creators can tag up to 30 products in a video.
YouTube Shopping Eligibility Requirements
There are certain eligibility requirements that will need to be met — a creator's channel will need to be part of the YouTube Partner Program, be based in India, and have more than 10,000 subscribers. Channels that are set at Made for Kids or a music channel aren't eligible to sign up for the program.
The platform will also restrict channels with Community Guideline Strikes in certain sensitive policy areas from joining the YouTube Shopping affiliate marketing program. Meanwhile, tags for products won't be displayed on videos that contain claimed content, according to YouTube.
How to Sign Up for YouTube Shopping
YouTube channels that are qualified to join the YouTube Shopping affiliate program can sign up via the YouTube Studio website.
- Log in to YouTube Studio and click on Earn from the menu on the left.
- Navigate to Programs > Join Now.
- Read the terms of service displayed on your screen and accept them to join the program.
