As social commerce strategies gain prominence in the creator economy, platforms are racing to expand their affiliate programs and enter the marketplace game. Shopee, Amazon, TikTok, and YouTube present distinct models—with impacts for creators seeking new revenue streams, for brands in pursuit of conversion, and for their own businesses.
Four months after the arrival of TikTok Shop in Brazil, at the Made in YouTube 2025, event, YouTube announced AI updates to boost creation on the platform and the expansion of its global affiliate program to Brazil, including shopping tools. Now, creators can tag and make products available for purchase in videos and Shorts, eliminating friction in the purchase journey via creators.
With the announcement, YouTube Shopping officially began its operations in Brazil, in partnership with Mercado Livre and Shopee. The arrival marks the practical expansion of the platform's affiliate program in the country, allowing creators to include product links directly in videos, live streams, Shorts, and posts. To participate, it is necessary to be part of the YouTube Partner Program (YPP), have at least 10,000 subscribers, and meet some eligibility criteria defined by the platform.
YouTube Shopping arrives with force in Brazil
The global initiative already has over 500,000 creators and a five-fold growth in GMV (Gross Merchandise Volume) compared to the previous year. The program creates a new revenue source for creators, beyond ads and sponsorships, and boosts the Shorts format, live streams, and collaborations. Content gains more relevance by being tied to a product's visibility, increasing performance and engagement.
With this strategy, YouTube also begins to monetize sales directly—previously, when a creator did advertising, the platform did not profit directly. Now, tracking is facilitated, and the business becomes a shopping showcase.
For brands, the advantage lies in structuring creators as a sales channel, with consistent metrics, reports, and potential for organic reach. The functionality replaces the traditional “link in bio/description” and tracking via UTMs, shortening the purchase journey and clearly attributing sales.
The challenges involve preparing compatible catalogs, defining commission and logistics rules, and abandoning the logic of isolated campaigns to dive into an ecosystem where entertainment generates trust, trust generates conversion, and conversion feeds back into the algorithm, with the influencer's credibility as a differentiator.
In live commerce, the platform introduces the practice mode, which allows testing equipment and communication before opening the live stream to the public. For advanced creators, the novelty is simultaneous streaming in horizontal and vertical formats, catering to the traditional audience and Shorts fans.
What is the difference from other affiliate programs and marketplaces?
Shopee's and TikTok Shop's affiliate programs prioritize social commerce and live streams, where urgency drives conversions. Brands benefit from immediate volume but may dilute their identity in environments dominated by discounts. Creators have easy entry and quick gains but need constant live presence or mass production to maintain reach.
Amazon Associates follows the classic link-based model, offering broad distribution but little creative control. For creators, there is flexibility and a wide catalog, but with lower engagement than more interactive formats.
YouTube Shopping bets on native integration, allowing products to be tagged directly in videos, streams, and Shorts. The platform has the advantage of having established creators and audiences accustomed to seeking reviews and tutorials before purchase. Commissions are attributed to sales, offering clearer ROI to brands, but less predictable earnings for creators in a recent program.
YouTube's catalog is still limited, prioritizing premium integrations. Brands gain prominence but have fewer options than Shopee and TikTok, which focus on cheap, high-turnover products. Amazon remains unbeatable in diversity, but attention is diluted among thousands of competitors and commissions are lower.
What remains to be discovered about YouTube Shopping in Brazil?
There is still no confirmed launch date, nor details on the commission percentages creators will receive or which retailers will be eligible to participate. The eligibility criteria for channels have also not been disclosed—whether there will be subscriber requirements or specific content categories.
In the Creative Strategy vertical at Thruster, we have been working with YouTube Shopping for a year. It is possible to sell one's own products or third-party products. To sell one's own products, the channel must be in the YouTube Partner Program (YPP), have the minimum number of subscribers or be an Official Artist Channel, not have an audience defined as “made for kids,” and have no policy violations. To sell third-party products, in addition to being in the YPP, the channel needs to have more than 10,000 subscribers, cannot be a music channel, nor be associated with record labels or distributors, and cannot have active violations of the Community Guidelines.
*Danilo Nunes, professor, researcher of the Creator Economy, and CEO and Founder of Nudgy—the first Brazilian agency specialized in building and nurturing creative systems focused on performance—with national and international operations. Also the main Brazilian mentor of Creative Strategy for creative professionals who want to internationalize their careers.
