Filipino online shoppers just got a whole lot closer to their favorite creators’ recommendations as YouTube, in a landmark partnership with Shopee, officially launched “YouTube Shopping” in the country yesterday.
This strategic move, powered by a robust partnership with the e-commerce giant Shopee, integrates seamless shopping directly within the YouTube viewing experience. The Philippines now joins a growing list of Southeast Asian nations – totaling six – where the YouTube Shopping affiliate program is live, signaling a powerful acceleration of the region’s burgeoning video commerce landscape.
Starting today, viewers will no longer need to navigate away from captivating content to find the products they admire. YouTube Shopping revolutionizes the online purchasing journey by transforming traditional video e-commerce – often relegated to links buried in description boxes – into a dynamic and direct product tagging system.
Imagine watching a beloved beauty vlogger’s tutorial and, with a simple click, having instant access to the featured makeup products, ready for checkout on Shopee. This eliminates the frustration of endless searching, multiple website tabs, and the potential for cart abandonment.
The launch is poised to be a game-changer for both Shopee sellers and the Philippines’ thriving community of content creators. For Shopee merchants, this collaboration is expected to unlock an unprecedented opportunity to expand their reach and tap into YouTube’s vast and highly engaged audience.
By partnering with a diverse network of creators, sellers can now showcase their products to incremental viewers who are already invested in the content they are watching. This direct connection between trusted creators and eager consumers promises to accelerate product discovery, amplify brand visibility, and ultimately drive significant sales growth.
Filipino content creators, particularly those who meet eligibility criteria, stand to gain substantially from this integration. YouTube Shopping provides a powerful new avenue for monetization, allowing them to leverage their influence and the authentic connections they’ve forged with their audiences.
By seamlessly integrating product recommendations into their videos, creators can now earn affiliate revenue, transforming their passion into a sustainable business. This development arrives at a crucial time as Filipino consumers increasingly seek engaging, content-driven shopping experiences, aligning perfectly with the trust and credibility creators have cultivated.
Riding the wave of video commerce and the creator economy
Kashif Khan, Community Partner Manager of YouTube
Southeast Asia stands as a global powerhouse in the e-commerce arena, with video commerce experiencing explosive growth. Astonishingly, video-led sales accounted for a remarkable 20% of the region’s total e-commerce gross merchandise value in 2024, marking a fourfold increase since 2022, according to industry data.
The Philippines is a significant contributor to this trend, boasting a vibrant and rapidly expanding creator economy. The nation is home to over 450 YouTube channels with more than a million subscribers and over 6,000 channels with a substantial following exceeding 100,000 subscribers.
This surge in video commerce is fueled by a fundamental shift in consumer behavior, moving away from traditional search-based discovery towards a more immersive and engaging video-first shopping experience.
Consumers are increasingly turning to online content and the recommendations of creators they trust for both information and entertainment. A global study further underscores this trend, revealing that online users are a staggering 98% more likely to trust recommendations from YouTube creators compared to other social media platforms. This profound trust directly translates into greater purchase confidence, with YouTube demonstrably driving 3.8 times greater purchase intent than other social platforms on average.
This data highlights the immense power of creators as trusted advisors, providing authentic product reviews, demonstrations, and recommendations that ultimately drive conversions. Consumers are actively seeking entertainment-rich shopping experiences, and the deep engagement fostered by trusted creators on YouTube positions the platform uniquely to capitalize on this evolving demand.
Further validating this shift, a Kantar study focusing on the shopping habits of Southeast Asian Generation Z consumers revealed that eight out of ten Gen Z respondents crave entertaining shopping experiences, emphasizing the critical role of content in their purchasing decisions.
Notably, despite exploring various channels for product discovery, a significant 63% of Filipino Gen Z respondents still prefer to finalize their purchases on established e-commerce platforms like Shopee, making the synergy between YouTube and Shopee particularly potent in creating a seamless and integrated shopping journey.
Regional leaders champion the partnership
Sapna Chadha, Vice President for Google Southeast Asia and South Asia Frontier
“Southeast Asia is shaping the future of shopping with its powerful combination of a deeply engaged video-first audience, a profitable digital economy, and a vibrant creator community,” stated Sapna Chadha, Vice President for Google Southeast Asia and South Asia Frontier, as she expressed her enthusiasm for the launch.
“We’re thrilled to bring YouTube Shopping to the Philippines — making Southeast Asia home to six out of nine countries globally that have it. Just seven months since our regional debut, we’re seeing strong traction across creators, sellers, and advertisers already. Building on this early momentum, YouTube Shopping will continue to grow, unlocking new opportunities for viewers, creators, brands, and partners across this dynamic region,” she further stated.
Echoing this sentiment, Vincent Lee, Head of Shopee Philippines, shared, “At Shopee, we are committed to delivering engaging shopping experiences that integrate content, community, and commerce. Our partnership with YouTube Shopping is a significant milestone for our brands and sellers, allowing them to connect with creators and harness their influence to drive sales effectively.”
According to Lee, this collaboration also opens up exciting opportunities for the growing number of Filipino content creators to monetize their creativity while promoting products that resonate with their audiences.
“As the digital economy continues to expand, our commitment is to support sellers and creators alike, helping them thrive in this evolving landscape,” he added.
Empowering creators and engaging advertisers
Content creators Camille Co, Tyrone Syling, and Mond Salem together with Sapna Chadha (center), VP for Google Southeast Asia and South Asia Frontier, and Vincent Lee (2nd from left), Head of Shopee Philippines.
The YouTube Shopping affiliate program empowers creators to seamlessly integrate product tags into both their existing and new video content, as well as prominently feature them during live streams.
Viewers can easily access a comprehensive list of tagged products, along with detailed information, directly within the video’s description and a dedicated “Product” section. A simple click on a product takes viewers directly to the corresponding sales page on Shopee for a frictionless checkout experience.
This new monetization avenue complements YouTube’s existing suite of tools designed to empower Filipino creators, including Ads Revenue, YouTube Premium Revenue, Channel Memberships, Super Thanks, Super Chat, and Super Stickers, further strengthening their ability to engage their audience and build deeper connections beyond immediate sales.
The initial rollout of the YouTube Shopping affiliate program in Southeast Asia has already demonstrated impressive results. Beauty and fashion creator Mai Trinh Hồ experienced a nearly fivefold increase in revenue after joining the program in late 2024.
Similarly, Indonesian tech creator Jagat Review reported that earnings from YouTube Shopping constituted a remarkable 50% of his channel’s total income between July and October of last year.
Filipino creators like lifestyle vlogger Camille Co are already embracing the new feature. “I always get asked where I got this and that makeup or clothing or home stuff on my vlogs, and for a long time, it’s been challenging to share them all,” Co shared. “Now with YouTube Shopping, it’s so much easier to share these products that I love and truly believe in. A huge plus also for me because I get to earn on the side while doing so!”
Mond Salem of the Filipino tech channel Hardware Voyage also expressed his optimism, stating, “I’m so excited about YouTube Shopping finally being in the Philippines! I’m looking forward to me and my fellow creators earning more with featured product sale commissions.”
For brands and advertisers, YouTube Shopping unlocks exciting new opportunities to connect with consumers and drive tangible business outcomes. By enabling direct connections between partnership ads and relevant creator content, the platform significantly shortens the customer journey from initial discovery to final purchase.
Brands can also leverage both long-form and short-form creator videos integrated with product feeds in their advertising campaigns to expand their reach to new customers across the vast YouTube ecosystem. A compelling case study from L’Oréal Thailand demonstrated the power of this integration, achieving a tenfold increase in high-intent views with a cost-per-visit twice as efficient as previous campaigns.
Since its regional launch, YouTube and Shopee have observed robust usage and purchasing activity across diverse product categories, including Beauty, Mobile & Gadgets, and Home & Living. This underscores the wide-ranging potential for creators to influence consumer purchasing decisions. As YouTube Shopping continues its expansion across Southeast Asia, it solidifies its position as a transformative force in the dynamic intersection of video content, e-commerce, and the burgeoning creator economy.