YouTube Introduces Affiliate Shopping Program for Indian Creators

YouTube today expanded its shopping experience in India with the introduction of the new YouTube Shopping Partner Program. The feature is already available in most countries, including the US and South Korea, and will now come to India, allowing YouTube creators to tag products from different websites. For now, in India, YouTube will allow creators to showcase products from Flipkart and Myntra. in their videos, receiving commissions from sales. With this feature, YouTube aims to help creators diversify their income streams by providing viewers with direct links to product recommendations from trusted content creators.

YouTube explains that its Shopping Partner Program will allow eligible creators to tag products in a variety of video formats, including long-form videos, short-form videos, and live streams. When viewers click on these tagged products, they will be redirected to the corresponding Flipkart or Myntra page to complete the purchase.

This extension notably builds on YouTube’s existing shopping features, which allow creators to connect their own merchandise stores to their channels, as well as other monetization options such as advertising, YouTube Premium, Brand Connect, as well as fan-facing features such as channel membership, Super Chat and Super Chat. Stickers.

When it comes to joining the program, creators need to go through a registration process. Once registered, they will be able to tag products in both new and existing videos, as well as live broadcasts. Viewers will find tagged items in the video description or in the Product section, making it easy to find the product across devices—mobile, web, or connected TVs. This flexibility will allow creators to use the program across multiple content formats and reach wider audiences across multiple screens, which is especially important given the rapid growth of YouTube viewership on connected TVs in India over the past three years.

Discussing the program and its global success, Travis Katz, General Manager and Vice President of Shopping at YouTube, said: “The incredible global success of YouTube Shopping, with over 30 billion hours of shopping-related content watched in 2023 alone, shows the power of connecting creators, audiences and brands in exciting new ways. We are now bringing the same impetus to India by launching the YouTube Shopping Partner Program starting with Flipkart and Myntra. The YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program offers Indian creators a unique opportunity. to diversify their revenue streams and deepen their connection with their audiences.”