YouTube is making a big push on live-stream shopping heading into the holiday season, while it’s also updating its connected ad options to offer more transparency into performance.
First off, YouTube has announced a new series of live-stream shopping events, as it looks to tap into the rise in shopper behavior leading into the holidays.
As explained by YouTube:
“The YouTube Holiday Stream and Shop will kick off on November 15th, with seven days of shoppable live streams. Fans tuning in will be able to score new products, unlock limited time offers, and get their product questions answered through live Q&A and polls with creators and other viewers.”
Live-stream shopping is a key opportunity, combining the immediacy and FOMO-factor of live broadcasts, with the compulsion of in-stream purchases. The process has been a big hit in China, where live-commerce is on track to become a $423 billion market by the end of next year. Facebook, TikTok and YouTube are now all looking to link into the same, with the hopes that western consumers will also adopt the live shopping trend.
Will that work? Early experiments have shown promise, and the added engagement benefits of live-streaming do add another factor to the product discovery process. In addition to this, YouTube says that 89% of viewers agree that YouTube creators give recommendations they can trust.
It seems like a potent combination – and one way or another, we’re going to find out, with more live-stream commerce experiments coming your way. And that could soon open more doors for more brands to run their own shopping broadcasts, using the same templates and styles in these streams.
In addition to this, YouTube is also upgrading its Video Action campaigns to automatically include connected TV (CTV) inventory, while it’s also adding new, verified measurement options for CTV campaigns.
“As of this month, US advertisers are able to fully measure their YouTube CTV video investments across YouTube and YouTube TV for an accurate view of true incremental reach and frequency in Comscore Campaign Ratings (CCR). Nielsen Digital Ad Ratings (DAR) CTV measurement is available for YouTube TV and will also be available soon for YouTube CTV in the US.”
YouTube says that connected TV viewing is its fastest growing consumption experience, and it’s looking to help advertisers tap into this with these new updates.
CTV campaigns on YouTube offer major potential, with essentially the same presentation options as traditional TV ads, but with the advanced targeting capacity of online campaigns. That can make TV ads far more affordable, giving smaller businesses a means to expand their reach, which is growing as more and more people consumer YouTube content on their home TV sets.
The latest updates add another element to this, and it’s definitely worth considering the potential of YouTube CTV campaigns in your planning.
UPDATE (11/9): YouTube has shared its full schedule of live-stream shopping events here.
