YouTube has launched a new Shopping affiliate program in India, allowing creators to earn commissions by tagging and promoting products from big brands like Flipkart and Myntra directly in their videos, Shorts, and live broadcasts. This feature allows viewers to discover and purchase things recommended by their favorite creators without leaving YouTube.
The affiliate program intends to deepen the link between creators and their audiences, providing creators with an additional revenue stream in addition to regular ad revenue, YouTube Premium, and sponsor collaborations. This launch is consistent with YouTube’s aim of enhancing social and video commerce by connecting marketers and creators to reach a wide audience in India.
Travis Katz, General Manager and Vice President of Shopping at YouTube, highlighted the program’s potential, stating, “The incredible global success of YouTube Shopping, via over 30 billion hours in shopping-related happy watched to 2023 by themselves illustrates the potential of connecting creators, viewers, and brands in exciting new ways.” Katz noted that the change ushers in a new era of product discovery, increasing the creator-viewer relationship through personalized buying experiences.
For businesses such as Flipkart and Myntra, the relationship provides a dynamic venue for exhibiting products and engaging people via video. Ravi Iyer, Senior Vice President at Flipkart Group, underlined the program’s larger implications for video commerce, adding that it “boosts customer engagement by enabling discovering new goods through creators on YouTube.” Both corporations have embraced social.
Eligible producers can join the program through YouTube Studio, which makes it simple to tag and promote products across various content types such as VOD, Shorts, and live streams. Viewers can browse labeled products in the description and “Product” sections and make purchases directly on the retailer’s website.
YouTube’s affiliate network meets the needs of India’s burgeoning creator economy, where customers rely more on digital video for purchase recommendations. According to YouTube, more than 65% of Indian customers trust creator recommendations over traditional advertising, indicating a solid basis for the success of this new feature.