YouTube has announced the launch of new “Shopping” features aimed at helping creators better monetize their content and simplify the shopping experience for viewers. 

The updates come as YouTube reports that users watched over 30 billion hours of shopping-related videos in 2023, with 25% growth in watch time year-over-year for videos that helped viewers make purchases on the platform. 

Moreover, YouTube aims to strengthen its position in the face of rising competition from TikTok Shop, which is reportedly targeting $17.5 billion in U.S. sales this year.

A key new feature is “Shopping Collections,” which allows creators to organize shoppable product sets from brands around specific themes like makeup looks or capsule wardrobes. 

These collections will be visible on creators’ product lists, store tabs, and video descriptions initially on the YouTube Studio mobile app, with desktop access coming soon, per the announcement. Integration with website builder Fourthwall joins existing partnerships, giving creators more options to manage online stores directly within YouTube Studio.

YouTube is also introducing the “Affiliate Hub,” a resource that equips creators with information about Shopping partners, commission rates, promo codes, and even a way to request product samples from top brands. This hub is designed to simplify the process of identifying revenue opportunities, making it easier for creators to plan and execute shoppable videos.

To monetize older videos still generating views, YouTube is expanding a feature that allows creators to bulk tag products across their full video library based on descriptions.