Google's online video platform has introduced a new feature in its videos, the click-to-buy button that allows users to directly purchase products shown in the videos they are watching.
The click-to-buy button takes the user directly to the online store where they can purchase the product. Until now, this e-commerce program was only available in the United States and the bc data thailand United Kingdom, but it will soon be available in Spain, Germany and the Netherlands. Users will thus be able to buy songs they are listening to in YouTube videos on iTunes or the movie whose trailer or scene they are watching on Amazon.
According to the Music Ally blog , the program has worked well in the months since it was launched in October 2008: for example, links to Monty Python DVDs on its official YouTube channel, launched in November, boosted sales of those DVDs by 23,000% on Amazon and made them the second best-selling product of the year in the Movies & TV category. These links have only been available in the United States.
Companies collaborating with the click to buy program will be able to place links to their products in any video, whether uploaded by them or by users, thanks to the Content ID content identification system .
YouTube is currently experimenting with the presentation of these links. They currently appear as a semi-transparent layer on the bottom edge of the video.
This e-commerce strategy is just another option that the portal is exploring to monetize the huge audience it receives. In the future, the range of products available for purchase will be expanded and users will also be able to purchase, for example, DVDs or video games that are advertised with trailers on YouTube.