LOOK: Youtube and Shopee finally launch ‘Youtube Shopping’ in the Philippines
Get ready for a shopping glow-up, Philippines! YouTube and Shopee have just dropped YouTube Shopping, a fresh feature designed to blend the joy of watching with the ease of buying. This exciting launch also means the YouTube Shopping affiliate program now spans six Southeast Asian nations, injecting even more energy into the region’s booming video commerce scene. The goal? To make your online shopping smoother and create more opportunities for everyone involved – viewers, your favorite content creators, and even the brands you love.
Imagine spotting something amazing in a video and being able to snag it without missing a beat. That’s the magic of YouTube Shopping. It takes product discovery from those sometimes-easy-to-miss links in the description straight into the video itself. Think direct product tags, eliminating the need for endless clicks, frustrating searches, and bouncing between different websites. One look, one click, and you’re checking out!
This arrival of the YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program in the Philippines is a game-changer for both Shopee sellers and the creators you follow. For sellers on Shopee, it’s like opening a door to a wider audience by teaming up with more content creators. This collaboration allows them to connect with engaged viewers and watch their sales soar. It’s a seamless connection that speeds up how you find new products, broadens brand awareness, and ultimately boosts those all-important conversion rates.
And for local creators? This partnership unlocks a whole new world of possibilities to earn. By showcasing products to the audience they’ve lovingly built, they can now turn their influence into income. It’s a perfect match for the way Filipinos are increasingly looking for engaging, content-filled shopping experiences.
Riding the Wave of Video Commerce and the Thriving Creator Scene
Southeast Asia is a hotbed for e-commerce growth, and video commerce is leading the charge, making up a significant 20% of the region’s e-commerce gross merchandise value in 2024 – that’s four times what it was in 2022! Right here in the Philippines, the creator community is flourishing, boasting over 450 channels with more than a million subscribers and over 6,000 channels with more than 100,000 subscribers.
This surge is fueled by a shift in how we discover products. More and more, we’re turning to online content from creators we trust for information and entertainment. On YouTube, these creators are more than just entrepreneurs and trendsetters – they’re the voices brands trust to speak on their behalf. A global study highlights this, revealing that online users are a whopping 98% more likely to trust recommendations from YouTube creators compared to other social platforms. This trust directly translates to confidence when making a purchase. In fact, YouTube sparks 3.8 times greater purchase intent than other social platforms on average.
This clearly shows how much viewers value creators’ opinions and crave genuine product reviews and demonstrations, ultimately leading to making a purchase. We’re looking for entertainment that blends search and video to enrich our shopping journey, and this deep connection with trusted creators on YouTube positions the platform uniquely to power this trend.
A Kantar study on the shopping habits of Southeast Asian Gen Zs reveals that eight out of ten want shopping to be entertaining, emphasizing the crucial role of content in their purchasing decisions. Interestingly, while they explore various avenues for discovering products, 63% of Filipino Gen Z respondents still prefer to finalize their purchases on e-commerce platforms. This makes the partnership between YouTube and Shopee a natural fit, promising a smooth and integrated shopping experience.
Sapna Chadha, Vice President for Google Southeast Asia and South Asia Frontier, notes, “Southeast Asia is shaping the future of shopping with its powerful combination of a deeply engaged video-first audience, a profitable digital economy, and a community of imaginative creators. We’re thrilled to bring YouTube Shopping to the Philippines—making Southeast Asia home to six out of nine countries globally that have it. Just seven months since our regional debut, we’re seeing strong traction across creators, sellers, and advertisers already. Building on this early momentum, YouTube Shopping will continue to grow, unlocking new opportunities for viewers, creators, brands, and partners across this region.”
Vincent Lee, Head of Shopee Philippines, adds, ”At Shopee, we are committed to delivering engaging shopping experiences that integrate content, community, and commerce. Our partnership with YouTube Shopping is a significant milestone for our brands and sellers, allowing them to connect with creators and harness their influence to drive sales effectively. This collaboration also opens up exciting opportunities for the growing number of Filipino content creators to monetize their creativity while promoting products that connect with their audiences. As the digital economy continues to expand, our commitment is to support sellers and creators alike, helping them thrive in this landscape.”
Level Up Your Earnings: The YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program for Creators
For creators, the YouTube Shopping affiliate program is a fantastic new tool. You can now tag products in both your existing and new videos, and even pin them during live streams. A complete list of these tagged products, along with all the essential information, is conveniently located in the video’s description and a dedicated ‘Product’ section. With a simple click, viewers are taken directly to the product page on Shopee for a hassle-free purchase.
This affiliate program enhances the existing ways Filipino creators can earn, allowing them to connect with their audience on a deeper level that goes beyond immediate sales. These tools include Ads Revenue, YouTube Premium Revenue, Channel Memberships, Super Thanks, Super Chat, and Super Stickers.
The YouTube Shopping affiliate program has already shown impressive results in the seven months since its launch in Southeast Asia.
Take Mai Trinh Hồ, a beauty and fashion creator known for her honest reviews. After joining the program in the last quarter of 2024, her revenue has jumped almost fivefold. Similarly, Jagat Review, a tech creator from Indonesia, reported that earnings from the YouTube Shopping affiliate program made up a significant 50% of his channel’s total earnings between July and October of last year.
Now that YouTube Shopping has arrived in the Philippines, creators like Camille Co are already embracing it, sharing her go-to makeup products by tagging them in her videos.
“I always get asked where I got this and that makeup or clothing or home stuff on my vlogs and for a long time, it’s been challenging to share them all,” Co explains. “Now with YouTube Shopping, it’s so much easier to share these products that I love and truly believe in. A huge plus also for me because I get to earn on the side while doing so!”
Mond Salem of Hardware Voyage, a Filipino tech channel, is also looking forward to the possibilities. “I’m so excited about YouTube Shopping finally being in the Philippines! I’m looking forward to me and my fellow creators earning more with featured product sale commissions,” he shares.
New Horizons for Brands and Advertisers: Reach and Engagement Opportunities
For advertisers, YouTube Shopping unlocks new avenues to connect with more consumers and achieve better business results.
By allowing advertisers to directly link partnership ads with relevant creator content, the journey from discovering a product to making a purchase becomes shorter and more direct. Brands can also feature creator videos, both long and short, with product feeds in their campaigns to reach new customers across YouTube. For instance, L’Oréal Thailand integrated its campaign with the YouTube Shopping affiliate program and saw a tenfold increase in high-intent views, with a cost-per-visit that was twice as efficient as previous campaigns.
Since the YouTube Shopping affiliate program rolled out across the region, YouTube and Shopee have seen significant activity and purchases across various categories, including Beauty, Mobile & Gadgets, and Home & Living. This highlights the wide range of products and the considerable influence creators have on consumer buying decisions. As YouTube Shopping continues its upward trajectory in Southeast Asia, it solidifies its position as a transformative force in the world of video commerce and the creator economy.
