YouTube Shopping Now in India, Affiliate Program Expands Creators’ Income Streams

YouTube has introduced a new shopping affiliate program in India that allows creators to earn commissions by tagging and promoting products from major brands including Flipkart and Myntra directly in their videos, short videos and live broadcasts. With this program, viewers can discover and purchase products recommended by their favorite creators without leaving YouTube.

The affiliate program aims to strengthen the connection between creators and their audiences by providing them with another source of income beyond traditional advertising revenue, YouTube Premium, and brand collaborations. This launch is in line with YouTube’s strategy to expand social and video commerce by connecting brands with creators to reach diverse audiences in India.

Travis Katz, CEO and VP of Shopping at YouTube, highlighted the program’s potential, noting: “The incredible global success of YouTube Shopping, with more than 30 billion hours of shopping-related content watched in 2023 alone, demonstrates the power of connecting creators, viewers and brands in new and exciting ways.” Katz added that the move ushers in a new phase of product discovery, strengthening the connection between creator and viewer through a personalized shopping experience.

For brands like Flipkart and Myntra, the partnership offers a dynamic format for showcasing products and engaging audiences through video. Ravi Iyer, senior vice president of Flipkart Group, highlighted the broader implications for video commerce, saying the program “increases customer engagement by allowing creators to discover products on YouTube.” Both companies have embraced social and video commerce with positive feedback from customers, making it a perfect fit for India’s rapidly growing digital shopping ecosystem.

Eligible creators can access the program through YouTube Studio, making it easy to tag and promote products across a variety of content formats, including on-demand video, short-form video and live streaming. Viewers can view tagged products in the Description and Product sections and easily make purchases on the retailer’s website.

The YouTube Partner Program meets the needs of India’s thriving creator economy, where consumers increasingly rely on digital video for purchasing recommendations. According to YouTube, more than 65% of Indian consumers trust recommendations from creators over traditional advertising, indicating a strong foundation for the success of this new feature.