The connection of the world’s second-largest search engine with one of the most popular online shop systems offers many exciting opportunities for Shopify merchants. With the new YouTube partnership, a shop can now also be linked to YouTube. Thanks to the Shopify app “Google Channel” in the backend of the shop software, YouTube can be used as a sales channel. This allows you to transfer your product range to your YouTube channel and sell directly from there.

This is how shop operators present their products within their YouTube accounts, for example in videos or during a livestream. You meet your target group where they are. This takes your YouTube marketing to a whole new level. Live shopping is also on the rise in Germany. Until now, viewers had to leave YouTube to order something from the retailer's shop. This step is now no longer necessary.

YouTube becomes a shopping channel

If influencers and brand manufacturers are able to sell their products live, the video streaming platform will become a shopping channel. This makes the Google subsidiary a direct competitor to Amazon, as it has enormous reach. More than two billion users log in every month. So far, Amazon, the largest trading platform, has not entered the social media sales market. This represents a real gap. The trading platform does not allow videos to be integrated or linked to Facebook or Instagram.

Google is thus taking the logical step, as TikTok is a pioneer in this development. The social network has already integrated Shopify. Here, retailers and manufacturers sell their products directly in the video with a buy button. Now Google is following suit with a strong partner.

There are three ways for Shopify merchants to sell their products on YouTube:

• in live streams
• by video
• with the Store tab

Even inventory can be synchronized during the transfer. Users can see in real time whether a product is in stock or not. It is important to keep buyers on the platform so that no intermediate steps are necessary. This further enhances the shopping experience, as it makes it easier for retailers and creators to reach their customers on YouTube.

During the live shopping event, a picture-in-picture display appears, allowing customers to click on the product and make a purchase. Unlike teleshopping as we know it from television, customers respond directly to what is being presented. They ask questions and are entertained. Orders are placed while the video is running.

Always an up-to-date product range

For videos that remain online permanently, retailers can tag specific products and place them in the video. The “Store tab” offers the function of an organized product selection in a separate tab within the channel. You are probably familiar with this from Instagram or TikTok. The tab is added to a company's YouTube channel. If the product is no longer available, it is automatically removed from the product list. This means that no manual reworking is necessary.

The integration with Shopify offers the advantage that all product details such as names, images, and prices remain up to date. The ability to subscribe to YouTube channels helps strengthen customer loyalty, leading to repeat purchases. This type of shopping combines the benefits of newsletters, shops, and contact options in one product. YouTube is thus expanding its streaming service into a full-fledged e-commerce platform. Many of the new features have been rolled out in the U.S. since the summer.

YouTube Shopping with Shopify offers the following features:

• Place products in YouTube videos
• automatic synchronization
• Live sales
• Tracking sales channels

Retailers track sales performance directly from the Shopify backend. This provides an overview of all sales channels. Nothing stands in the way of networking with your own community. The platform offers multiple sales channels, making it a fixture in e-commerce. These include mobile applications, social media, marketplaces, brick-and-mortar retail, and a powerful back office. Customers want to shop around the clock, regardless of opening hours. Shopify is reliable and easily scalable, making it suitable for businesses of all sizes.

More and more features are being added to provide online retailers with the best possible conditions. With Shopify, you can also create and integrate YouTube ads. The Shopify App Store offers many useful extensions. There is great potential here, especially when competition is strong and products are interchangeable. In such cases, video formats are well suited to boost sales.

Get help setting up your Shopify account

If you don’t have time to dive into this topic, we as your online marketing agency are happy to assist with the implementation. As a full-service agency, we take care of your marketing and support you with shopping ads, video advertising, Google Ads, or app marketing.

To use YouTube Shopping, you need to download the Google Channel app from the Shopify App Store. There you will find the “YouTube Shopping” section and log in with your YouTube account details. Once you have linked your accounts, select the products you want to sell under Monetization and Shopping. Thanks to the many extensions available in the App Store, even smaller companies can get started here.

Moving images are becoming an important factor in e-commerce

Google is steadily moving toward e-commerce with all of its offerings. The company even links its central search engine to online retail. Shopify offers the ideal platform for this, with a wide variety of interfaces to other marketplaces and social media. Integration into other networks should be as easy as possible. This offers every retailer the greatest possible flexibility. TikTok has shown how it can be done in China. The social network now wants to repeat this in Europe, and Google and Shopify want to be ready. Other networks such as Netflix could also come into play, as collaborations could attract even more customers.

Shopify's new feature offers many new opportunities, as products can be presented perfectly in moving images. They are vivid and offer added value for the user. For example, when someone uses or demonstrates the product in front of the camera. With a good story behind it, it offers an exciting shopping experience. Retailers who rely heavily on video have a clear advantage here. Anyone who isn't already using it now has a reason to start.