YouTube gets a new shopping integration as it touts its impact on Gen Z style

YouTube is already a major player in the world of ecommerce, and it has announced a new integration that will bring even more sellers onto its platform. The Google-owned hub is going into business with TalkShopLive, a six-year-old firm that enables cross-platform social shopping.

TalkShopLive launched in 2018 with a mission to democratize ecommerce by building shoppable streams that generate revenue for creators, celebrities, and other partners. To go along with a long-standing Meta partnership, TalkShopLive has negotiated with TikTok, and now it’s moving onto YouTube as well. Users will be able to make sales directly in their streams without needing to direct buyers to external pages.

According to Variety, notable individuals who will employ TalkShopLive on YouTube will include musicians like Brandi Carlile, Brad Paisley, and Trisha Yearwood. “At TalkShopLive, our mission is to make every video shoppable everywhere it lives,” said TalkShopLive Co-Founder Bryan Moore. “Adding YouTube to our Shoppable Simulcast network expands our reach to the most powerful video community in the world. This innovation allows creators and brands to drive sales and engagement at scale without relying on any single social platform.”

TalkShopLive is picking a good time to get involved with YouTube. The platform recently released a report measuring the commercial and cultural impact of its YouTube Shopping venture. Though YouTube has not publicized exact figures for its on-platform sales, it did tout its status as a discovery engine. Research has found that 61% of 14-to-24-year-olds have used YouTube to learn about new brands and products.

The cultural impact of YouTube Shopping may be the hub’s biggest competitive advantage. The new report cites previous research from Google and SmithGeiger; the findings revealed that 59% of online 14-to-24-year-olds have drawn influence from YouTube when crafting a personal sense of style, and 43% of that group feels more kinship with brands that engage in creator partnerships.

For all the talk about TikTok Shop, YouTube’s ecommerce business is no slouch — and the TalkShopLive integration is the latest upgrade. To see more findings related to YouTube Shopping, click here.