YouTube Shorts will soon have new shopping features available on the platform. This includes affiliate marketing as well as the ability to buy items from Shorts.
This update was reported by a major British newspaper, according to The Verge. The long-form video behemoth is testing shopping features with American creators and audiences in the United States, India, Brazil, Canada, and Australia.
Can tag own products in shorts
According to the report, this allows influencers to tag their own products in Shorts, which viewers can then buy. An affiliate marketing programme is now available to select US influencers, giving creators yet another way to monetize their Shorts.
Shopping is a potentially lucrative area for platforms that rely on advertising dollars, and Shorts competitors are looking to expand even further into e-commerce, according to The Verge.
As the company competes with TikTok, affiliate programmes and other shopping features may make YouTube more appealing to content creators.
TikTok began testing its long-awaited Shop programme, which allows users to purchase products directly within the app, last week.
According to GSM Arena, TikTok has stated its intention to integrate shopping into its app: prior to testing in the United States, the feature was available in the United Kingdom and parts of Southeast Asia.