Key Takeaways
- Amazon has joined YouTube Shopping as an affiliate partner, letting creators tag Amazon products in videos and livestreams while earning a commission on every sale.
- YouTube Shopping’s gross merchandise volume grew 13-fold globally between the first quarter of 2024 and the first quarter of 2026, with more than 1 million of its roughly 3 million eligible creators now in the program.
Amazon.com has become the newest affiliate partner in YouTube Shopping, part of YouTube’s to prioritize e-commerce as one of its next big bets.
The deal allows YouTube creators to seamlessly tag Amazon products in their videos and livestreams, driving more business directly to the enormous global marketplace while taking a cut from sales.
YouTube Shopping lets creators tag products sold by thousands of sellers, from small brands and direct-to-consumer retailers to the likes of Walmart, Sephora and Home Depot. (Google’s leading artificial intelligence tool Gemini has made tagging even simpler).
Why YouTube Is Prioritizing E-Commerce
E-commerce is being eyed by Alphabet Inc.’s as their next big strategic swing, according to YouTube Shopping GM Travis Katz, comparing it with major long-term investments the tech giant made in podcasting.
“It’s the biggest online retailer in the world coming together with the most-used application on the internet,” said Katz said in an interview with Bloomberg. “Video has completely changed the way people shop…in the old days, we used to browse store windows. Today, people browse videos.”
How YouTube Shopping Grew and What Creators Earn
Shopping on YouTube started four years ago and the company launched its affiliate business in the U.S. in 2024 with expansion following in India, Southeast Asia, United Kingdom, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina. YouTube Shopping’s gross merchandise volume — a measure of the value of all goods sold — grew 13-fold globally from the first quarter of 2024 to the first quarter of 2026, according to company officials.
More than one million of YouTube’s roughly three million creators who are able to make money on the platform are part of its shopping program today. Viewers can click to get more information and buy a product, with creators earning a commission from every purchase. YouTube’s shopping tags drive about twice as much engagement as an affiliate link buried in a video description, making it much easier for creators to earn commissions, Katz said.
TikTok partnered with Amazon two years ago, letting users shop for Amazon products through ads without leaving the TikTok app. Though YouTube may have some catching up to do, Katz said it’s positioned to excel at e-commerce in a way that’s different from more traditional social media platforms.
“We’re the second-largest search engine in the world, so people are using YouTube for research in a way that they don’t use other platforms,” said Katz. “Being part of the Google universe, we can leverage things like Gemini to build interesting experiences.”