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YouTube Will Bring Shopping Features to Shorts

YouTube is looking to diversify its revenue streams amid an economic downturn and a slowdown in ad spending.

Attila Tomaschek
Attila is a Staff Writer for CNET, covering software, apps and services with a focus on virtual private networks. He is an advocate for digital privacy and has been quoted in online publications like Computer Weekly, The Guardian, BBC News, HuffPost, Wired and TechRepublic. When not tapping away on his laptop, Attila enjoys spending time with his family, reading and collecting guitars.
Expertise Attila has nearly a decade's worth of experience with VPNs and has been covering them for CNET since 2021. As CNET's VPN expert, Attila rigorously tests VPNs and offers readers advice on how they can use the technology to protect their privacy online and
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YouTube expects to roll out shopping features on Shorts next year.

 James Martin/CNET

YouTube is introducing shopping features to Shorts, its TikTok-like short-form video offering, the Financial Times reported Tuesday. The Alphabet-owned streaming giant is also testing a new commission for creators on the site. The move comes amid decreased ad spending and an economic downturn. 

YouTube's new shopping features will allow users to purchase products as they scroll through Shorts, similar to efforts from social media rivals like TikTok and Instagram to expand their e-commerce footprints. 

The shopping features are expected to roll out in 2023, with creators getting a 45% cut of the revenue made from ads displayed between videos.

Viewers in the US, India, Brazil, Canada and Australia will be able to make purchases by interacting with product tags that eligible creators include in their posts, YouTube confirmed to CNET via email. The company plans to expand the shopping feature to additional creators and regions in the future.  

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