look news india
Just before the big sale of the festive season, YouTube has given a big gift to Indian content creators. Google-owned video platform YouTube has expanded its ‘YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program’ by adding 5 major e-commerce platforms of the country. Now creators will be able to directly tag products from these leading retailers in their long videos, YouTube shorts and livestreams. For lakhs of regional and independent creators from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru to Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, this decision will prove to open new doors of earning during the festive season.
The YouTube shopping ecosystem already included platforms like Flipkart, Myntra, Nykaa, Purple, Shopsy and Tira. Now 5 new leading merchant partners have officially entered this network:
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Amazon (Amazon India): Millions of electronics, home appliances and festive products from the world’s largest e-commerce marketplace will now be available for tagging.
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Meesho: Popular platform for budget-friendly, tier-2/tier-3 audiences and value-focused fashion products.
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AJIO: This premier fashion destination from Reliance Retail offers a wide range of youth and trendy apparel.
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Tata CLiQ: This premium lifestyle and electronics platform from Tata Group will provide high-value purchasing opportunities.
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Snapdeal: A marketplace offering a wide range of affordable and regional consumer products.
With the arrival of these new partners, products from every segment like fashion, beauty, electronics, home decor and grocery are now available at one place, giving the viewers a seamless shopping experience while watching the video.
According to YouTube data, creator-led commerce is fast becoming mainstream in India. There has been a strong year-on-year increase of more than 160% in the average payout to Indian creators between 2025 and the first quarter of 2026. This is far ahead of the average growth rate of 100% recorded globally.
Currently, more than 50% of eligible creators in India are enrolled in the YouTube Shopping program. Indian creators have successfully tagged products in more than 1.9 crore (19 million) videos so far. According to statistics, more than 45 crore logged-in users in the country search reviews and content related to shopping on YouTube.
YouTube has also introduced several cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence (AI) features to make the shopping experience even easier:
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Ask YouTube for Shopping: Through this feature, viewers will be able to ask questions related to the product on the watch page of the video itself. Users watching videos on smart TV can also get complete information about the product by giving voice commands on the remote.
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Smart Currency Tags for Global Audience: If an Indian creator’s video is watched abroad, YouTube will show local currency and offers from local retailers based on the viewer’s location. With this, Indian creators will be able to easily earn international affiliate commission from foreign viewers.
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Ask Studio for Brand Partnerships: This generative AI tool will help creators create compelling pitches for brands and respond to brand briefs instantly, right within YouTube Studio.
Traditional affiliate marketing required creators to include long links in the description box, which drove users out of the app. Now through YouTube Shopping, a digital shelf appears below the video screen, where viewers can directly click and make purchases.
Creators can tag trending products in old and new videos through their monetized channels with more than 500 subscribers. Creators can multiply their income from affiliate commission by creating videos like tech unboxings, fashion hauls, home makeovers and gifting guides during upcoming festive sales (Diwali, Dhanteras, Dussehra).