Maximizing YouTube for Social Commerce: A Guide to YouTube Shopping

YouTube is no longer just a platform for entertainment. With over 2.7 billion monthly users and more than 30 billion hours of shopping-related videos watched in 2023 alone, the platform is quickly becoming a go-to social commerce tool for brands eager to engage and convert a massive audience.

Enter: YouTube Shopping.

For influencers and brands alike, YouTube Shopping is more than just another feature — it’s a way to transform content into a dynamic storefront, offering products directly to engaged viewers. 

To help you harness the potential of this social commerce tool, we put together the ultimate guide to YouTube Shopping with everything you need to know, from setting up a storefront to leveraging exclusive tools for driving social commerce success. Let’s get started.

Why YouTube Shopping? 

Over 90% of consumers say they discover new brands or products on YouTube. Now, with YouTube Shopping, the company has found a way to streamline the path to purchase by integrating shopping features directly into content consumption. Viewers can discover, browse, and buy products without leaving the YouTube ecosystem, giving brands a chance to meet consumers where they’re already engaged. This seamless integration removes the friction of external searches or shopping apps, creating a pathway for effortless purchases, directly from YouTube videos, Shorts, or live streams.

By collaborating with influencers and tapping into YouTube's extensive analytics, brands can build authority and foster trust with their audience. YouTube’s unique community aspect — loyal subscribers and creators who regularly engage with each other — positions it perfectly for building relationships that translate into sales.

Key Features of YouTube Shopping

1. Curated Shopping Collections

With YouTube’s Shopping Collections feature, creators can curate themed product sets from their favorite brands. These Shopping Collections will appear in their channel’s product list, Store tab, and video descriptions. 

These collections make it easy for viewers to shop directly from the content they love. Take a look at LongHairPrettyNails collection, “Spring Nail Must Haves,” for example.

For brands, this means an opportunity to capitalize on seasonal trends, product launches, or influencer partnerships. Creators who offer curated collections not only boost visibility but also foster a sense of exclusivity and urgency, driving consumers to make purchases.

2. Affiliate Hub for Influencers

YouTube’s Affiliate Hub makes it easier for creators to partner with brands and access competitive commission rates and exclusive promo codes — all from within the YouTube app. This makes it simpler than ever for brands to scale their influencer marketing efforts, with creators motivated to promote products they believe in.

This hub also helps brands reach a larger, more targeted audience with creators who have a vested interest in driving sales. It’s a win-win, as brands gain more exposure and creators earn commissions, all while viewers discover products from sources they trust.

3. Product Tagging

Creators can now tag products across multiple videos in bulk, turning past content into new revenue streams. For example, imagine a creator has a cooking channel with hundreds of recipe videos. Each video tagged with relevant cookware or ingredients opens up a world of shoppable content, continuously funneling traffic to brands that align with the creator’s niche.

4. Connected Storefronts

YouTube allows creators to link products from external stores like Shopify, FourthWall, or Spreadshop directly to their channel. This means that creators can promote both their own merchandise and other brands’ products, reaching viewers on YouTube while driving traffic to their ecommerce sites.

How Brands Can Get Started with YouTube Shopping

Step 1: Build a branded storefront. 

Brands enrolled in the YouTube Partner Program that have over 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 valid public watch hours can create a dedicated storefront on their channel, pulling products directly from connected stores like Shopify. 

This storefront serves as a one-stop shop where viewers can browse and purchase products in a seamless, integrated experience. For brands with diverse product lines, collections provide a clean and efficient way to categorize offerings, making it easier for customers to find exactly what they’re looking for.

Step 2: Partner with influencers to drive engagement.

Creators are essential to the YouTube Shopping ecosystem, offering a direct line to their audiences. Brands can take advantage of influencer partnerships by working with creators who align with their values and target demographics.

Influencers, in turn, can earn commissions through YouTube’s affiliate program, incentivizing them to highlight products naturally in their content. This partnership-driven approach fosters authenticity and can lead to higher conversion rates.

Step 3: Use data-driven insights to optimize content. 

The analytics tools in YouTube Shopping are a treasure trove of insights. Brands can track metrics like click-through rates, viewer demographics, and sales performance, allowing for informed decision-making and better targeting. By understanding what types of content resonate best with specific audiences, brands can optimize future campaigns and product placements to drive greater engagement and sales.

6 Quick Tips for YouTube Shopping Success

1. Find the right YouTube creators for your brand. For quick success, partner with creators who have experience with selling products on YouTube. You can even set up your program in Aspire’s Creator Marketplace and specifically include a callout for creators who have YouTube Shopping set up. 
2. Focus on quality content. As with any social commerce effort, YouTube Shopping is most effective when paired with quality content. Work with creators who create content that is not only entertaining, but also informative and valuable to viewers. Ensure their content is focused on the products and how the creator uses them in their day-to-day life — this can be in the form of Get Ready With Me’s, Favorites videos, and the like. 
3. Optimize for mobile. A significant portion of YouTube’s traffic comes from mobile devices, so ensure your linked store and product pages are mobile-friendly to minimize bounce rates and encourage seamless checkout experiences. Ask creators to link to your products across multiple media types (i.e. regular YouTube videos, Shorts, and live streams). 
4. Leverage seasonal collections. Seasonal and holiday-themed collections can add urgency to purchases. Plan ahead to capitalize on key shopping periods like Black Friday or holiday seasons, and consider collaborating with creators who can showcase products in line with these themes. Consider a more involved “Live Shopping” experience to drive immediate sales — this has been a major success on other social commerce platforms like TikTok Shop. 
5. Create a compelling affiliate offer to attract top creators. The standard affiliate compensation model is anywhere between 10-30% commission on the sales driven. You can even build a tiered commission program that rewards creators for hitting certain sales goals. 
6. Experiment with influencer tiers. Diversify your creator mix for the best results. While top-tier influencers have massive reach, don’t overlook micro-influencers who may have highly engaged, niche audiences. This tiered approach allows brands to cast a wider net and explore diverse audience segments. Make sure you keep track of each creator’s performance metrics and re-invest in top performers. 

A New Era of Social Commerce

As social commerce continues to grow, platforms like YouTube are set to lead the charge. Brands that adopt YouTube Shopping today will find themselves well-positioned to turn viewers into customers, ensuring that their content not only entertains but also drives real, measurable results.

Need more YouTube Shopping advice? Get in touch with us to speak to an expert.