Google links YouTube shopping ads to marketplace checkout in Southeast Asia

Google has introduced three shopping and creator-commerce tools for Southeast Asia, led by a Commerce Media Suite that allows brands with marketplace storefronts to send shoppers from YouTube ads to checkout pages.

The tools were presented at Google Marketing Live Southeast Asia in Singapore and are aimed at advertisers that want to connect product discovery, creator content and purchase more directly. Google is piloting Commerce Media Suite with Shopee, with Maybelline recording a 7.4% incremental lift in revenue in early tests, alongside what Google described as a strong return on ad spend.

YouTube becomes a shorter path to checkout

Commerce Media Suite is built for brands that sell through marketplace storefronts. It uses shopping signals, including what users are searching for or adding to carts, to serve ads on YouTube before directing interested shoppers to checkout.

Google is framing the tool around the growth of video commerce in Southeast Asia. According to figures cited by the company, video commerce in the region grew fivefold from 2022 to 2025 and accounted for 25% of total e-commerce gross merchandise value.

The company also tied the launch to the use of AI features in Search. Google said 82% of AI Overviews and/or AI Mode users in Southeast Asia reported that Search’s AI features helped them make decisions faster, while 80% said the features helped them make decisions more confidently. Among Gen Z users, 86% said the features helped them manage decision fatigue.

Sapna Chadha, Google Vice President for Southeast Asia and South Asia Frontier, said, “As people realise 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.”

Google gives creator videos a paid media role

The second tool, Creator Partnerships Boost, lets brands promote a YouTube creator’s videos directly as ads within their own campaigns. The format was previously known as Partnership Ads.

These ads run from the creator’s own handle, which allows brands to extend the reach of creator videos beyond the creator’s existing audience. For creators, it adds another commercial route for content that may already support product discovery through YouTube Shopping.

Google said more than 6 million videos in Southeast Asia now feature shoppable product tags through the YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program. More than 50% of eligible creators are enrolled, while total creator payouts have increased by more than 105% year on year.

The company also cited independent surveys across markets showing that viewers trust YouTube creators more than creators on TikTok and Meta. The release did not include the survey methodology.

Affiliate videos can be turned into ads

Google is also piloting Affiliate Partnerships Boost in Southeast Asia with Shopee. The company described the region as one of the first globally to pilot the tool on YouTube.

The feature allows marketplaces and retailers to promote high-performing affiliate videos as paid ads. When an ad leads to a sale, creators can earn commission revenue through the affiliate model, while marketplaces and retailers gain wider distribution for videos that have already shown commercial traction.

Together, the tools give Google a more direct role in the shopping journey across Search, YouTube, creator content and marketplace checkout. The next question for advertisers and creators will be how widely the pilots expand, how attribution is handled, and whether creator payouts grow as more affiliate videos are used as paid ads.