By: Nick Gambino
YouTube is best known as a video streaming service supported by ads and subscriptions. Creators share in some of this revenue, but that’s not the only way they make their money. Many of them earn dollars by being an affiliate. Users watched a reported 30 billion hours of product-related videos in 2023 alone.
Last year, YouTube added a way for creators to include product tags with their videos, helping them boost their affiliate income. Now YouTube is looking to further advance into the ecommerce space by adding a few new Shopping features to their platform and thus, more ways for creators to make money.
“With spring’s fresh energy comes a wave of new must-have product drops from brands and creators, so as we step into spring shopping season, we’re excited to announce even more updates so viewers can shop for new favorites from the most loved creators,” Director of Product Management at YouTube Shopping, Aditya Dhanrajani, said in a blog post.
The most exciting new feature allows creators to make “Shopping Collections” that include a series of products connected through a theme or some other category. Users can browse through that channel’s collection in the Store tab, product list or even in the description of a video. It’s a great way to boost your affiliate revenue or to sell your own products.
Shopping Collections can be created and edited right through the YouTube Studio app on the creator’s phone with desktop capabilities coming soon.
YouTube is also unveiling a brand-new Affiliate Hub as a resource for creators to discover everything they need to become an affiliate, including a list of partners, commission rates, promo codes, etc. This is also where creators can request samples from brands.
Staying on theme, the platform now allows Fourthwall integration. Fourthwall is a site builder that makes it easier to build your own shop and now that it’s integrated with YouTube it’ll be even easier.
