Live streaming shopping has taken off in eastern nations like China and other Asian regions, but Western audiences are slow to the uptake. Despite this, YouTube is launching shoppable links on its streaming services to try and encourage westerners.
There is a lot of potential for this idea. When we say, “taken off”, we mean it. It’s a regular part of entertainment now to consume shopping-themed streams in Asian regions. They feature huge influencers with hundreds of thousands of followers and come in numerous variations.
So why shouldn’t western audiences get a piece of that action? After all, TikTok has already got in on it by partnering with TalkShopLive to re-share and re-broadcast its live shopping content.
So, what would shoppable links do? Well, it’s the basic first step to shopping streams. It offers streamers a chance to tag something they are showcasing, and it offers watchers a chance to buy what they’re showing. A link in the stream will take watchers to the product details and a target website where they can buy it.
As Insider explained: “By year’s end, members of YouTube’s Partner Program in the US, UK, Brazil, and India with at least 20,000 subscribers will be able to tag their videos, Shorts, and live streams with shoppable links.”
This is a big move for affiliate marketing. The concept so far hasn’t really tapped into the streaming space beyond influencers shouting out their brand deals occasionally, but this could turn the streaming space into an online retail marketplace.
