It is easy to imagine scenarios in which this feature would work on-brand, such as kitchen creators linking kitchen accessories, players selling components from their PC build videos, and, of course, unpacking channels advertising the products they display. Creators have been able to sell merchandise through a shopping center on their channel for the past two years, and this latest experiment looks like another way for them (and YouTube) to generate revenue.
Reports have been circulating for a long time that YouTube is exploiting such a feature. A number of platforms are incorporating more shopping features, including Instagram and WhatsApp, so it’s not too surprising that Google is doing the same on YouTube. After all, Google Shopping ads started appearing on YouTube videos in 2015.