YouTube takes on TikTok with expanded Shopify partnership
YouTube is positioning itself against the rising popularity of TikTok Shop by giving Shopify retailers more selling options.
The video-oriented social media platform, which initially partnered with Canadian e-commerce company Shopify in 2022 to let Shopify retailers to sell their full range of products via YouTube in three ways: livestreams, videos, and store tabs, is extending the range of the collaboration.
[READ MORE: Shopify partners with YouTube for video-based shopping]
Now, all eligible members of the Shopify Plus and Advanced initiatives in the U.S. can sign up for the YouTube Shopping affiliate program through the Google & YouTube app on Shopify. This enables YouTube creators to showcase products from Shopify sellers at scale in their videos.
Participating Shopify retailers can manage their YouTube Shopping affiliate activities and view analytics, content and products from Google Merchant Center.
"We’re thrilled to share these updates to YouTube Shopping as we continue to empower merchants and creators to collaborate more effectively and build thriving businesses," YouTube said in a corporate blog post.
YouTube takes on TikTok
Presumably a major driver of YouTube’s decision to launch this new joint effort with Shopify is the sharp rise of rival video-based social platform TikTok, which has offered a robust e-commerce offering in the U.S. via its TikTok Shop storefront since September 2023.
TikTok Shop delivers shoppable videos and livestreams directly to user “For You “feeds across the country, with selling tools for retailers, brands and content creators that includes an affiliate program for creators to feature products from specific sellers.
Data backs up the popularity of TikTok with U.S. consumers. A recent survey from Omnisend indicates that one-third of Americans have shopped via TikTok Shop since September 2023.
And while YouTube ranked as the most-widely used (93%) online platform among U.S. teens for the second consecutive year in Pew Research Center’s most recent annual survey of U.S. teens, TikTok ranked second (63%).
"YouTube's expanded partnership with Shopify and the enhancements to its shopping affiliate program signal a strategic move to cut into the momentum that TikTok Shop has been building recently,” Joe Kwong, head of business development at Agora, said in commentary emailed to Chain Store Age. “By leveraging thousands of existing shopping platforms and offering creators more tools, YouTube is giving e-commerce a way to diversify its video strategy and tap into its massive, engaged audience without relying solely on TikTok's social commerce ecosystem."
Separately, YouTube is introducing a new Chrome extension for U.S. creators in the YouTube Shopping affiliate program to save products while browsing a brand or retailer’s site. Creators can also find out how much they would earn from tagging the product in their YouTube videos without leaving their site.
