TikTok’s store has become incredibly popular. With deals and offers constantly being advertised, it’s not hard to see why. However, YouTube previously came along with a competitor. Will that take the winning spot, though?
With TikTok’s shopfront continuing to gain popularity, YouTube are desperate to increase their store traction. YouTube has been partnered with Shopify for quite some time, so it’s surprising that TikTok’s shop appears to still be performing better due to Shopify and YouTube both being large household names. You would imagine the playing field would be even.
YouTube, don’t plan to lose the battle just yet, though. They’re now expanding their partnership to encourage more users to start accessing the service. They’ve added more brands to their YouTube Shopping affiliate program. This will encourage many more brands to get involved and to try out hosting their products on the platform.
The expansion will see thousands of new brands added to the platform. Meaning creators will be able to access many more products and services. They’ll be able to tag new brands in their shopping videos and potentially be scouted by these brands. Leading to brand deals and sponsorships that will benefit creators massively.
Shopify Plus or Shopify Advanced
Anyone that is eligible to Shopify Plus or Advanced merchants within the US will be able to apply for YouTube’s Shopping affiliate program. So, the two platforms are offering great incentives which are hard to ignore. It seems silly for any creator or brand to ignore this opportunity, because it’s possible that it won’t be around forever.
The affiliate program will help brands reach new audiences and create new sales. It will also open doors for smaller creators to be spotted by brands they might like to work with. The best way of potentially securing these deals is to start advertising new brands that join the network. Get in there early and show them you can promote their products.
TikTok US shop is worth $17.5 billion
TikTok are currently set to grow their US shopping option to $17.5 billion this year. The company are also newer to the US e-commerce market than YouTube are, so those figures are really impressive. As of the end of 2023, TikTok announced they had 500,000 merchants in the US alone. They’ve achieved all of this in such a short space of time.
Admittedly, the US did have to wait for the launch of their store. After all, they’d seen the hype of the rest of the world when it came to the TikTok store. Users in the US were likely very ready for the launch, and therefore merchants had the preparation time. These merchant figures might start to plateau now that the hype has worn off. Not as many will now need to sign up.
YouTube Chrome extension
With YouTube announcing their Chrome extension, users will be able to use the shopping affiliate program without having to switch between tabs. This will add to productivity and will make for a smoother process. Leading to engagement of content creators as they can browse a brand and save products to their own extension.
This means, when they come to create a video, they can easily access their saved items. If each creator saves every item they purchase, it would make for easy video creation, They can then tag each product within their video and earn money from the affiliate scheme at ease. YouTube seem focused on increasing their e-commerce presence.
