Google launches YouTube shopping tools in Southeast Asia

Google has launched new shopping and advertising tools for brands and creators in Southeast Asia, linking YouTube advertising more directly to online purchases.

The products - Commerce Media Suite, Creator Partnerships Boost and Affiliate Partnerships Boost - are designed to turn product discovery on YouTube into transactions and paid promotional campaigns.

The announcement comes as Google points to rising use of artificial intelligence features in Search across the region. According to figures it cited, 82% of users of AI Overviews and AI Mode in Southeast Asia say Search's AI features help them make decisions faster, while 80% say they make decisions more confidently. Among Gen Z users, 86% say the tools help them manage decision fatigue.

Google says this rise in Search engagement is creating a larger pool of high-intent shoppers for advertisers. It is now trying to tie that behaviour more closely to YouTube, where brands are increasingly using creators and video formats to sell products.

Video commerce

Google described Southeast Asia as a fast-growing market for video-led shopping. Video commerce in the region increased fivefold between 2022 and 2025 and now accounts for 25% of total eCommerce gross merchandise value, according to the company.

The trend has also spread on YouTube through its Shopping Affiliate Program, which lets creators tag products in videos, Shorts and live streams. More than 6 million videos in Southeast Asia now include shoppable product tags, while more than half of eligible creators in the region have joined the programme, Google said. Total creator payouts have risen by more than 105% year on year.

At the centre of Google's latest move is an effort to shorten the path from viewing a product to buying it. Commerce Media Suite is aimed at brands that sell through marketplace storefronts and lets advertisers send viewers from a YouTube advert to a checkout page.

Google is piloting the tool with Shopee. In early testing, Maybelline recorded a 7.4% incremental lift in revenue, alongside what Google described as a strong return on ad spend.

Creator adverts

Another product, Creator Partnerships Boost, lets brands promote a YouTube creator's video as an advert within their own campaign. The advert appears from the creator's account rather than the brand's, which Google says helps it fit more naturally into users' feeds.

The tool was previously known as Partnership Ads. Google is positioning it as a way for brands to extend the reach of creator content beyond an influencer's existing followers while keeping the creator's identity attached to the advert.

Affiliate Partnerships Boost is also being piloted in Southeast Asia with Shopee. It allows marketplaces and retailers to take affiliate videos that are already performing well and expand their reach through paid promotion.

For creators, the model opens another route to commission income when an advert leads to a sale. Southeast Asia is among the first regions globally to test the product, Google said.

Search and trust

Google argues that trust in creators is a key part of this strategy. It cited independent surveys across regional markets showing that viewers trust YouTube creators more than creators on other platforms, including TikTok and Meta.

That matters because social commerce in Southeast Asia has become intensely competitive, with platforms trying to tie entertainment, product discovery and payments into a single user journey. Google's move suggests it wants YouTube to play a larger role in transactions rather than mainly serving as a discovery and brand-building channel.

By combining search signals, such as what users are looking for or adding to baskets, with YouTube viewing behaviour, Google is also trying to offer advertisers a more direct path from intent to purchase. That would put it in closer competition with marketplace advertising systems that already sit nearer the point of sale.

Sapna Chadha, vice president for Southeast Asia and South Asia Frontier at Google, said: "As people realize just how much more Search can do for them, AI is transforming how they explore and shop across our region. We are doubling down on this shift in Search while turbocharging the power of YouTube creators to partner with businesses and build better shopping experiences. No other platform can connect shopper intent and trusted video commerce like Google. Whether a brand wants to build deep creator connections or drive direct checkouts, our ecosystem delivers on every business goal. Ultimately, our next-generation, AI-backed measurement solutions ensure advertisers have total clarity on their ROI, keeping them ahead in this new era of commerce."