48 mins ago

YouTube India Expands Shopping Tools Without Becoming E-Commerce Company

YouTube says it wants to help people shop through videos, but it does not want to run its own online store.

Many people already use YouTube to look for shopping ideas.

About 450 million logged-in users searched for shopping-related information on the platform.

The amount of time people spent watching shopping videos grew by 55% in one year.

Creators can now tag real products and brands in their videos.

Viewers can click those tags and go to a partner store to buy something.

Creators may earn a commission when viewers purchase products.

YouTube says these tools can help creators, merchants and India’s economy.

Key facts

GDP contribution: YouTube’s 2025 India impact report said the platform contributed Rs 18,000 crore to India’s GDP.
Shopping searches: Nearly 450 million logged-in users had shopping-related searches on YouTube.
Watch-time growth: Watch time for shopping content increased 55% year on year.
Product tagging: Creators can tag real products and brands directly in videos.
Merchant pathway: Tagged products can send viewers to merchant partners to complete purchases.
Creator earnings: Creators can earn commissions from purchases generated through the tagged products.
YouTube’s stated role: Soni described YouTube’s role as providing infrastructure, technology and training rather than operating as an e-commerce company.

NDTV · 48 mins ago