YouTube is testing a feature that will allow users to purchase products they see directly on video, according to a Bloomberg post.
It could be one of the biggest changes in streaming platform of Google, turning it into a competitor to Amazon.
According to Publication, YouTube recently started asking creators to tag the products used in their videos. This data is then sent to Google which will generate analytics, which it will associate with tools shopping directly through YouTube. The company is said to be testing integration with Shopify.
Bloomberg reports that a YouTube representative confirmed that the company is testing such a feature with some channela video, although it is still in an experimental phase. Creators will have control over which products appear as available for sale.
It is not yet clear what percentage YouTube will earn from these sales. The company now allows users to subscribe to video creators and earns 30% of it.
But such a rate is unlikely to work for product sales. Many YouTubers they are already making money from links at no cost to them. Direct sales through YouTube should offer significant benefits for content creators to choose the platform.
At this time we do not know if the new feature will be released more widely. But what we have begun to suspect is that YouTube will become very different in a few years.
