YouTube might soon become a major shopping destination. Why? Because Google is reportedly planning to make the video platform into a shopping site. According to Bloomberg's latest report, YT is now asking creators to use its software to track and tag products featured in the platform's video clips.
The YouTube logo appears on screen before a keynote address by Vice President of Global Content Partnerships at YouTube Robert Kyncl at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show at the Las Vegas Hotel & Casino January 12, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. CES, the world's largest annual consumer technology trade show, runs through January 13 and features more than 3,100 exhibitors showing off their latest products and services to about 140,000 attendees.
The gathered data will then be linked to shopping tools and analytics from Google, YouTube's parent company. Right now, the video platform is already considered as a shopping site.
The Search Engine Journal (SEJ) reported that 55% of consumers use YT's videos to make purchase decisions. However, when the viewers decided to purchase an item after watching the content, they will be directed to another site to place the order.
Google's plan
Google wants to transform YouTube into a website where users can directly buy the products they see in videos without leaving the platform.
A woman carries shopping bags two days before Christmas on December 22, 2010 in Berlin, Germany. German retailers have announced strong Christmas sales that are coming on the heels of a robust German economic recovery from the global financial crisis of 2008-2009.
The American search engine company is already making plans to make its goal a reality. Google's end goal is to make YT's video library into a product catalog where users can tap on items they see and purchase them directly from the website.
Google's project is still an 'experiment'
A YouTube spokesperson said that the platform's product tagging features are currently being tested with a limited number of channels. He added that the video creators will have control over which items they want to tag in their content. There's no confirmation yet if the YouTubers would receive financial incentives for tagging products.
The spokesperson also confirmed that Google's project is still an "experiment." As of the moment, the search engine company is testing an integration with Shopify to sell products via YouTube.
For more news updates about Google's other plans, always keep your tabs here at TechTimes.
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Written by: Giuliano de Leon.
