The COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic has created quite a stir in terms of how and where people shop. Both online brands and brick-and-mortar businesses are learning to adapt to this new era where it is more common for someone to browse a store via a tablet or smartphone than wander for hours inside of a shopping mall.
But individual businesses aren’t the only ones taking notice. Even mega video search engine giant YouTube is getting in on the action with a new feature called shoppable ads. These ads feature curated products to make it easy for buyers to make a purchase without leaving the platform. Not only is this super convenient for shoppers, but it makes it easier for brands to put their top-rated items in front of interested audiences with little to no effort.
Here’s what you need to know about shoppable ads on YouTube and why this is such an exciting game-changer.
How Do Shoppable Ads Work?
Shoppable ads are basically like a comingling of normal paid video advertising with the ability to buy on the fly. Think of it kind of like window shopping, but delivered via video. Cool, right? As a team addicted to online shopping, we think this is probably one of the coolest trends out there right now.
It works like this: YouTube viewers watching their favorite videos see the ad and have a chance to click directly on an item or button at the bottom to purchase the product. From there, they fill out the same basic cart details you would expect and the normal order fulfillment process starts, ending with the product arriving as usual at their doorstep.
Why is this such a big deal? These shoppable ads prevent the need to go look a product up on a website and risk trying to get the buyer to go through your store site to checkout. If they don’t purchase the product or click but abandon the sale, then it gives you great data for future retargeting and remarketing campaigns, too.
YouTube Joins a List of Social Platforms Featuring Shoppable Ads
Of course, the ability to buy goods without leaving your favorite social media platform certainly isn’t new. Pinterest, Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok have already previously added similar features to make it even easier for brands to connect with shoppers in an interactive fashion. Even television and streaming platforms like NBC’s Peacock, Hulu, Roku, and others are jumping into actionable shoppable advertising. In fact, it is safe to say that as more consumers become familiar with this process, more and more platforms will start to offer it as a paid marketing option.
How to Implement Shoppable Google Video Ads
If you’re already running paid Google ads and YouTube ads, it isn’t too hard to accomplish utilizing this new feature. Essentially, this is done by syncing a Google Merchant Account Center feed to paid video ads and selecting certain products to showcase. (HINT: If you aren’t familiar with what either of these things entails, it is probably a good idea to go ahead and give us a call.)
Creating a YouTube Shoppable Ads Strategy
Of course, adding to your perfect marketing mix takes a little bit of time and effort. And that’s what we are here to do. Our team of YouTube experts will help you choose the right products for your shoppable ads while keeping in mind potential upsells and other marketing opportunities. From there, we will help you create a cohesive campaign that matches all of your other branding for that perfect polished look.
Ready to take a bite out of YouTube shoppable ads? Please contact our team of paid marketing experts to start the discussion.
