So, Shopify announced an update that lets Shopify Plus + Advanced merchants in the U.S. sign up for YouTube's Shopping affiliate program. This announcement marks YouTube's entry into the "shop while you watch" era like TikTok. I have 3 main thoughts since hearing about this: 1. Why This Is Important TikTok Shop has been crushing it by letting creators sell products without users leaving the app. Now, YouTube is taking a page from that playbook and making it easier for creators to tag products and sell while they entertain. The big deal here is that YouTube has an older, more established audience, which might make this deal bring in bigger bucks $$$ 2. How Brands Will Play This Game Brands are going to JUMP on this just like they did with TikTok. They’ll start targeting YouTube creators who already have a trust factor with their audience. But the cool thing? It’s not just about paying for a shoutout anymore. Creators can tag the product directly in their videos, making the process smoother and more natural. Imagine watching your favorite YouTuber, and you can buy the gear they’re using with just a click. It’s like product placement on steroids. This Solves a Big Problem Let’s be real: Meta has been the bread and butter for most brands when it comes to online growth. But with more channels like this opening up, brands don’t have to lean so hard on Facebook or Instagram. YouTube’s new feature gives brands a new audience to explore, especially if they’ve been feeling the squeeze from rising ad costs on Meta. It’s a chance to: Diversify, Tap into different audiences, and Possibly even lower CPAs by spreading their bets across more platforms. What do you think about this news?
Definitely gives brands more opportunities to diversify beyond Meta
This is a great opportunity for brands to diversify their marketing efforts and reduce their reliance on Meta It's also a chance to experiment with new strategies and see what works best for them
Is this available to Canadian businesses? I believe the Tik Tok ship is still only for U.S?
Looking forward to seeing how brands use this new tool.
Ryan Mckenzie, your insights on the impact of YouTube's entry into the "shop while you watch" era are spot on. This move opens up a world of opportunities for creators, brands, and audiences alike. It's fascinating to see how the dynamics of e-commerce and influencer marketing continue to evolve.
This is a big move for YouTube, especially considering their older demographic. It'll be interesting to see how brands adapt to this new sales channel.
YouTube is going to be a huge competitor for Meta over the next five years.
Man, I had this exact idea almost a decade ago but couldn't afford to patent the idea at the time.
Exciting stuff!
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2moYep I’m all in - I have a call with their product team tomorrow at Google - will hopefully understand what their roadmap looks like 🚀