YouTube, a giant video-sharing platform and the second largest search engine after Google has announced its partnership with Shopify to bring eCommerce support and experience to the video-sharing platform. 

With daily active users of about 122 million, the platform allows eCommerce businesses and influencers to interact with potential buyers directly and connect with audiences on an intimate level. Now with the Shopify integration, direct sales have become possible on the video platform.

The world of eCommerce is vast, so differentiating your eCommerce brand is essential if you want to stand out. This Shopify integration with YouTube could be a solid start. But what else does it mean for you as an eCommerce business owner, and how can you take advantage of the integration? Read on to find out. 

What Possibilities Does the Shopify – YouTube Integration Present For Your Ecommerce Business? 

We’re experiencing a recession, so for eCommerce brands to thrive, it’s crucial they find new and creative ways to sell to their consumers. That’s what’s so exciting about this integration, as it presents tons of selling possibilities. Businesses that have also built followings on YouTube can now display available products in new and exciting ways. Such as: 

YouTube Livestreams

Live shopping grew through the pandemic and rose globally, as consumers sought different ways to shop for products online. YouTube remains the most popular live shopping platform hosting 30% of businesses. eCommerce business owners can take shopping to a new level with livestreams. For direct selling, eCommerce merchants and creators can tag and pin products during live streams. Picture-in-picture ensures viewers can keep up with the live video.

Videos

Before Shopify’s integration with YouTube, eCommerce merchants took advantage of the platform’s large users by creating product showcase videos and how-to tutorials, selling the benefits of the products.

However, with the new integration, instead of just talking about the usefulness of products in videos and sharing tutorials, merchants and creators can now link relevant products with a product shelf that will be displayed beneath videos as they play.

Modern consumers like to consume content visually. Videos are an opportunity to bring your eCommerce products to life by showing how they’re used and what they can actually do. 

Store Tab

Merchants and creators who integrate their Shopify store with their YouTube channels will now have a separate storefront on YouTube. This appears as a store tab on the YouTube channel and will display the entire collection of available products that interested buyers can purchase directly from the channel. 

Simply put, having your products available for purchase in more ways than one can only lead to increased purchases. It’s a win-win for your eCommerce store. 

Why You Should Take Advantage of the Shopify – YouTube Integration 

Shopify’s integration with YouTube benefits your growing eCommerce store in the following ways:

• By tapping into YouTube’s network, you can increase visibility for your eCommerce store and products.
• There’s a two-way sync, which keeps available products updated automatically on YouTube from your Shopify store.
• There’s a seamless shopping experience via in-app checkouts. However, note that this is only available to qualified merchants in the US.
• Your digital storefront on your YouTube channel is displayed as the shop tab, making purchases via YouTube super easy.
• You’ll provide a rich live shopping experience for your audience with products tagging and pinning during lives.
• Your eCommerce store can get discovered in the Explore tab, which will serve as a shopping destination for users. Note that this will be made available for Users in the US, Brazil, and India.

Does the Shopify-YouTube Integration Make Sense for Your eCommerce Business?

Before you can integrate your Shopify store with your YouTube channel, you must meet the following basic requirements: 

• You have a YouTube channel that’s approved for monetization.
• You’re based in an eligible region/country. 
• Your channel has up to 10,000 subscribers.
• Your channel is not set to “made for kids.”
• There’s no violation of YouTube’s monetization policies.

If you can check all these boxes, then you’re ready for integration. 

How To Integrate Your Shopify Store with YouTube

You can integrate your Shopify store with YouTube from YouTube or Shopify. If you start the process from YouTube, you’ll need to complete it on Shopify. Hence, we’ll be focusing on how to do this from Shopify. 

1. Sign into your Shopify app or click here.
2.  Visit the Shopify App Store and install the Google Channel App.
3. Navigate to the YouTube Shopping Section and click on “Add a sales channel.”
4. Sign in and connect to your YouTube account, provided you meet the requirements. 
5. Choose the products you want to be featured on your YouTube Channel.

You might be prompted during registration to create a Google merchant account if you don’t have one already, or sign in to your existing account. 

Once you’ve completed the process, YouTube will evaluate your products and channel to ensure it complies with its merchant policies. It may take several business days before your channel store is approved. After approval, head on to monetization in YouTube Studio and click on shopping to add products to the product shelf on your videos. 

As a business owner, you’re constantly looking for ways to boost your eCommerce business, increase visibility and get more sales. YouTube’s integration with Shopify offers you a fresh opportunity to make that happen. Jump in today!

Did you know that you can also use Benchmark Email to promote your Shopify products via email? Our eCommerce block and integration with Shopify simplify promoting your eCommerce products via email marketing. Check it out by signing up for free.