Just in time for the festive season in India, YouTube has introduced its affiliate program to the country, enabling creators to tag products within their videos and earn referral income. To kick off this initiative, YouTube has partnered with Walmart-owned Flipkart and fashion retailer Myntra, making their product catalogs accessible for creators to tag in their content.
To participate in this affiliate program, creators need to be part of YouTube’s partner program and have a subscriber base of at least 10,000. This expansion adds to YouTube’s existing feature that allows select Indian creators to display their merchandise on their channels. Now, creators can incorporate tags for products they discuss, whether in videos, Shorts, or livestreams.
In the U.S., YouTube has been testing various shopping and affiliate-related tools for some time. Back in 2022, it began experimenting with affiliate links on Shorts, and in 2023, it introduced a feature allowing creators to tag multiple products across their video library, enabling monetization even for older content. Furthermore, YouTube expanded its partnership with Shopify in August, giving creators access to a wider range of products. Other recent enhancements include creating curated shopping collections and introducing a dedicated affiliate hub.
YouTube’s goal is to make product discovery easy across all formats, whether through long-form videos, Shorts, or livestreams, and available on all devices, including mobile, web, and connected TVs. “By doing this,” YouTube noted in a blog post, “we’re amplifying creators’ influence and making it simpler for them to connect with their audiences.”
India, with over 400 million users, is YouTube’s largest market. The platform has more than 110,000 channels with over 100,000 subscribers in the country. Since the launch of Shorts in India in 2020, they have garnered over a trillion views.
Praanesh Bhuvaneswar, founder of the influencer marketing platform Quroz, views this as a significant boost for creators but cautions against aggressive promotion. “A significant change for Indian consumers and marketers is the transformation of entertainment venues into marketplaces. This move is particularly beneficial for smaller creators who often lack visibility with major brands,” he told TechCrunch.
Beyond India, YouTube has also activated affiliate programs for creators in South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam, marking a broader regional commitment to creator-driven commerce.
