YouTube is ringing in springtime by revealing some budding new features for its shoppable videos. The latest updates to YouTube Shopping include themed Collections curated by creators and an Affiliate Hub filled with marketing opportunities.
Shopping Collections allow creators to pick and choose specific items to show off to their fans. Collections show up as shelves, with each item getting its own buyable icon. Though the feature is still new, several creators have already published their own Collections. In a blog post, YouTube highlighted curated shelves from channels like LongHairPrettyNails and Sydney Morgan.
“Collections will appear in a creator’s product list, Store tab, and video description,” reads the post. “At launch, creators can make Collections on the Studio app on their phone, with the feature coming soon to desktop.”
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YouTube is also enhancing the affiliate marketing model that has become more robust over the past year. Creators who check out the new Affiliate Hub can learn about Shopping partners, browse available commission rates, and grab promo codes for the items they wish to promote. YouTube is also expanding the affiliate product tagging product it revealed last year. Previously, only a select group had access to that feature, but it is now rolling out for all creators.
The final piece of the YouTube Shopping springtime update concerns Fourthwall. The website builder has been added to the list of integrated platforms whose stores can be ported over to YouTube channels.
By souping up its shoppable features, YouTube has brought storefronts to more than 100,000 channels. The latest additions to the YouTube Shopping toolkit should increase that number, and subscribers will get to enjoy some curated Collections along the way.
