Google Express uses YouTube as shopping centre

Google is experimenting with shopping links underneath videos on its platform YouTube. The internet giant is looking for new sources of revenue due to the growing competition in advertising from Amazon.

Google Express

For now, the initiative is only in a testing phase: viewers will be seeing product recommendations or promotions on specific products under specific circumstances. Clicking the link will lead the viewer directly to Google Express, instead of the advertiser. That sales platform is similar to Google Shopping: it groups 1300 dealers and demands a 12 % commission if the click leads to a sale.

This is not a surprising move from Google: the company has been dealing with ever tougher competition, mostly from Amazon. Google greatly depends on revenue from advertising and Amazon currently occupies 10 billion dollars (9 billion dollars) in this market.