Google is testing the idea of turning YouTube into an e-commerce platform, according to a Bloomberg report.
YouTube is currently testing through a limited number of channels the option to buy items that feature in videos. The ”goal is to convert YouTube’s bounty of videos into a vast catalog of items that viewers can peruse, click on, and buy directly,” the report stated.
YouTube has been testing e-commerce features for a while. But late last year, it began testing Shopify software that enables creators to list as many as 12 items for sale on a digital carousel below their videos, Bloomberg wrote. A YouTube spokesperson confirmed to Bloomberg that the online video-sharing platform is looking into e-commerce options.
Google, which bought YouTube in 2006, and Shopify already have a partnership. Earlier this year, the two companies enhanced an existing integration allowing Shopify merchants to list products for free on Google Shopping.
