5 days ago
9
Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!
Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.
Visit Suniway.ph to learn
YouTube and e-commerce giant Shopee unveiled YouTube Shopping in the Philippines, becoming the sixth country in Southeast Asia to offer this affiliate program in the popular video sharing platform.
Google Asia Vice President Sapna Chadha said the Philippines is the latest country in the region to launch YouTube Shopping after already being available in Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore.
Aside from the aforementioned six countries, YouTube Shopping is only available in three other countries outside the region.
Chadha said YouTube—which is under the umbrella of Alphabet Inc., the same parent company as Google—is focusing on Southeast Asia because of its thriving creator economy.
“YouTube creators are seen as not just entrepreneurs and influencers, but you're seen as trusted advisors,” she explained, noting that 98 percent of users globally are likely to trust recommendations of YouTubers.
Chadha pointed out that this influence is critical in shaping the region’s gross merchandise value, as 20 percent of the total value can be attributed to video commerce.
YouTube, in particular, has fueled “almost four times greater purchase intent” than any other social media platform.
Under YouTube Shopping, content creators and brands can directly tag the products they are recommending, serving as the direct link to the actual product in Shopee.
This is seen as a welcome change from the usual setup of creators listing down the links of the products they are promoting in the video’s description.
“Fewer clicks, smoother checkouts. It's shopping that's actually much more fun,” said Chadha.
YouTube has partnered with Singapore-based Shopee in its ongoing expansion into Southeast Asia, as competition is heating up with its closest rival TikTok, which offers a built-in shopping platform.
Research firm Momentum Works cited TikTok Shop as the second-largest e-commerce platform in the region last year, only behind Shopee.
Shopee Philippines head Vincent Lee said its partnership with Youtube and Google could be a growth driver for the e-commerce giant.
He said the overall reach of the social media behemoths would allow Shopee to tap more audiences.
Chadha said YouTube and Google are present in 75 percent of Filipinos’ consumer journey, such as in discovering a new product or retailer.
“YouTube and Google are trusted by more Filipinos in their purchase journey than all other media platforms as well. It's reassuring and it's a reliable space for making purchases,” she added.
