With more than four million retail-related channels on YouTube, how do brands choose their partners?

Amid a banner year for the creator economy, brands are gearing up for one final influencer marketing push. The holiday season is here (whether we’re ready or not), and creator endorsements will play a big role as brands look to direct Black Friday shoppers toward their products.

The advertisers who are facing big decisions for their YouTube-based buys can get some guidance through Pixability. The firm known for providing thorough insights related to YouTube ads has released a report that, as stated in its title, outlines Retail Strategies for YouTube.

The topline takeaway from the new Pixability report won’t surprise anyone with a working knowledge of the creator economy: On YouTube, so-called “retail-based” creators — who operate in categories like fashion, beauty, home goods, and consumer technology — have become ubiquitous. 4.12 million retail-related channels were active on the platform during a one-year period that ran from Q3 2024 to Q2 2025. Over the same timeframe, retail and shopping content hauled in 688 billion views.

As you might assume, many of those views (and the associated ad dollars) flow through the channels of the biggest retail creators on YouTube. By blending product analysis with entertainment, and by bringing a radically honest approach to reviews, notables like Marques Brownlee (pictured above) and James Charles have become important assets for their sponsors.

The wealth, however, is not concentrated at the top of the pyramid. Pixability also highlighted the fastest-growing creators in retail-related categories, shining light on rising stars like Clara Afua and TheSamFindz.

Those rising creators are thriving because of one of the biggest X-factors related to influencer marketing: Authenticity. Pixability reported that users are 98% more likely to trust recommendations from YouTube creators compared to creators on other platforms, and 78% of viewers claimed that creators help them make quicker purchasing decisions. The majority of consumers (eight out of ten) don’t even mind when creators introduce products via paid endorsements.

“A rising trend among emerging creators focuses on practical content—videos that highlight usefulness, simplicity, and real-life value,” reads the report. “Creators like TheSamFindz and gadgetxplorer turn everyday problem-solving into engaging storytelling, from storage hacks to tech innovations to kitchen essentials.”

Pixability’s findings suggest that any brand can benefit from regular work with YouTube creators, but the specific nature of that work varies depending on each sponsor’s retail category and campaign goals. If you want to check out a more granular analysis of the ad formats, cross-category opportunities, and AI models that inform the most optimized YouTube campaigns, you can download your copy of the Retail Strategies for YouTube report via the Pixability website.