By enabling viewers to find products on their videos and channels, YouTube has extended its shopping service to help Indian producers diversify their revenue streams.
According to the video hosting provider, the service will launch with online apparel shop Myntra and e-commerce company Flipkart. Eligible artists can tag products in their films through the YouTube Shopping affiliate program and get paid when viewers buy them from retailers’ websites.
The addition enhances YouTube Shopping, a service that lets content producers advertise goods by connecting their online stores to their YouTube channels. By expanding on already-existing money-generating options like as YouTube Premium, Ads revenue, and other fan-driven services like Channel Memberships, Super Thanks, Super Chat, and Super Stickers, the YouTube Shopping affiliate network offers creators a full range of tools to succeed on the platform.
More than 30 billion hours of shopping-related content were viewed on YouTube Shopping in 2023, according to Travis Katz, general manager and vice-president of YouTube Shopping. This figure highlights the value of bridging the gap between brands, creators, and consumers.
“With the launch of the YouTube Shopping affiliate program, we’re now bringing this same momentum to India, starting with Flipkart and Myntra,” Katz stated. “We’re opening up a new stage of product discovery, driven by the close bonds that exist between content producers and their audience. Indian content producers have a rare chance to expand their revenue sources and strengthen their relationships with their viewers through the YouTube Shopping affiliate programme.
“By facilitating product discovery through YouTube videos created by creators, we hope to further enhance the Flipkart and Myntra customer experience and engagement through the YouTube Shopping Affiliate program,” stated Ravi Iyer, senior vice-president and head of corporate development and strategic partnerships at Flipkart Group.
YouTube claimed that its revenue-sharing strategy and investment in a creator ecosystem have supported the growth of a “vibrant” creator economy. In India, there are over 100,000 subscribers and over 110,000 channels (as of December 2023). According to the “e-Conomy India” survey, over 65 per cent of Indian consumers have greater faith in YouTube producers than in traditional superstars.
