In the same way that on Instagram you can already tag products and make purchases directly from the application, YouTube plans to incorporate a similar purchasing system.
The Google-owned video company, which already makes money through the ads that companies buy to include in the videos that users upload, and through the subscriptions paid by those who want to enjoy YouTube Premium and not support advertising, is now prepare to add a new source of income, adding a new shopping function within the videos (with which it would foreseeably take some percentage).
For now, YouTube has begun to test the functionality with some users in the United States, who are already allowing them to sell some products in their videos. When there is an item for sale, viewers can click on a special link in the video that takes them to the list of products being sold.
Much like Instagram, YouTube shows an icon of a shopping bag in the video in the lower left corner of the video. By clicking on it, viewers can access the product page and receive more information, watch related videos and even buy the product directly. It is not known how the integration of sales will be in the platform, but it could be that it worked together with Google Shopping and that the products that appeared in the videos would also link to the search engine results.
YouTube for the moment has only confirmed that its test is being carried out both in the applications for iOS and Android and in the desktop version of the video platform. The company had already conducted a similar test in October 2020, but had not provided further information.
Now the tests and the more than possible launch throughout 2021 are confirmed for all users, which would turn YouTube into one more e-commerce platform , a path that many social networks are choosing to strengthen their income.