YouTube announced a major expansion of its YouTube Shopping affiliate program in Thailand, welcoming Lazada as a new official partner. This strategic collaboration, coupled with the introduction of new AI-driven features, is set to significantly fuel Thailand’s thriving video commerce landscape, making the shopping experience more seamless for viewers and unlocking new revenue streams for creators.
The partnership leverages Lazada’s extensive product catalog, allowing creators to tag a wider variety of items directly within their videos. This offers viewers a smoother path to purchase, enabling them to shop product recommendations from their favorite creators without leaving the video platform.
Thai Video Commerce Hits Staggering Growth
The expansion builds on strong momentum witnessed in Thailand:
- Watchtime Surge: Shopping-related watchtime in Thailand has skyrocketed, growing more than 400% year-over-year.
- Creator Adoption: More than 35% of eligible Thai creators have already enrolled in the YouTube Shopping affiliate program since its launch.
- Trust and Influence: A survey highlighted that 88% of Thai viewers trust YouTube creators’ views and opinions on brands and products more than creators on other platforms, proving the platform’s power in driving purchasing decisions.
- Global GMV: Globally, YouTube Shopping Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) has seen a 5X increase.
Mukpim Anantachai, Head of YouTube Partnerships, Thailand, emphasized the platform’s role: “YouTube has become a powerful destination for shopping inspiration, seeing 4.5 billion shopping search queries in June this year. We are excited to further scale the program by welcoming Lazada to our affiliate program and introducing new features to make the YouTube Shopping experience more rewarding and seamless for our creators and viewers.”
Lazada: Aligning AI and Premium Shopping Experience
Varitha Kiatpinyochai, CEO of Lazada Thailand, stated that the collaboration aligns perfectly with Lazada’s goals. “The YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program underscores Lazada’s next-level commitment to delivering a seamless shopping experience. We’re confident this partnership will cultivate a vibrant ecosystem of entrepreneurs, driving substantial growth for creators while forging authentic connections between brands and consumers. This initiative is perfectly aligned with our brand-driven premium market positioning and significantly advances our AI-driven shopping experience.”
This move also creates significant opportunities for Thai brands to drive traffic and sales on Lazada by partnering with influential creators.
AI Powers Seamless Shopping Features
To enhance the creator and viewer experience, YouTube is integrating new AI-powered tools:
- Auto Timestamps: YouTube recently introduced a feature that uses an AI-powered system to automatically display the product tag at the exact moment a product is mentioned in a video. This captures viewer interest when it is highest and saves creators valuable time.
- Automatic Product Tagging (Upcoming): YouTube plans to begin testing the ability to automatically identify and tag all eligible products mentioned in videos later this year, further simplifying the affiliate process for creators.
YouTube reiterated its commitment to growing the creator economy in Southeast Asia and building a future where shopping on the platform is intuitive, engaging, and rewarding for everyone.
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