YouTube will introduce its first official retail channel for in-person transactions in South Korea on June 30, the Yonhap news agency reported.
An ideal test ground for the global powerhouse as it concentrates on becoming more “shoppable” is South Korea, which already has a thriving live-streaming commerce industry driven by digital giant Naver.
The new channel will launch as a 90-day project and operate in Korean. According to sources who are aware with the situation, it would initially give businesses a live-commerce platform and intends to livestream shopping material from roughly 30 brands, according to Yonhap and other Korean media.
According to Yonhap, it is the first official shopping channel on YouTube for any nation.
Google’s Chief Business Officer Philipp Schindler stated in February that there was “lots of potential in making it easier for people to shop from the creators, brands, and content they love” due to advertisers’ reduced spending and competition from platforms like TikTok.
The live commerce market in South Korea is anticipated to increase from 2.8 trillion won in 2021 to 10 trillion won ($7.7 billion) this year.