TLDRs;
- YouTube has partnered with Lazada to expand its affiliate shopping program in Indonesia.
- The initiative lets creators tag products directly in videos for affiliate commissions.
- Shopping-related watch time in Indonesia has soared by 400% over the past year.
- Analysts say data integration and tracking tools could enhance the program’s long-term impact
YouTube is deepening its roots in Southeast Asia’s fast-growing creator commerce scene through a new partnership with Lazada, one of the region’s biggest e-commerce platforms.
The collaboration marks a major step in YouTube’s affiliate shopping expansion, turning Indonesia into a testing ground for shoppable content at scale.
The program allows eligible creators in the YouTube Partner Program to tag products from Lazada directly in their videos. When viewers click on tagged items, they’re redirected to Lazada to complete the purchase, allowing creators to earn affiliate commissions while helping brands reach new audiences through trusted voices.
Indonesia Leads Southeast Asia Rollout
Indonesia was the first Southeast Asian market to launch YouTube’s affiliate shopping feature. Over the past year, the country has become a hotbed for social commerce innovation, with shopping-related video watch time jumping more than 400%, according to YouTube.
“YouTube remains committed to supporting Indonesia’s digital ecosystem through open, safe, and creator-friendly commerce experiences,” said Veronica Utami, Country Director for Google Indonesia.
She added that both consumer enthusiasm and brand interest have “grown significantly” over the past year, validating YouTube’s strategy of fusing entertainment with e-commerce.
The company also reported a doubling in the number of Indonesian YouTube channels boasting over one million subscribers, reaching more than 3,000 channels in 2024. That creator boom has made the country one of YouTube’s most vibrant markets globally.
Creators Gain New Earning Pathways
YouTube said that about 90% of Indonesian viewers rely on creators for product recommendations, positioning influencers as key conduits for consumer trust. The affiliate program gives creators a structured way to monetize their influence without relying solely on brand sponsorships.
Unlike TikTok Shop, where transactions occur within the app, YouTube’s model keeps checkout external via partners like Lazada. While this approach gives creators more flexibility and preserves YouTube’s content-first identity, it also raises questions about tracking sales and attributing conversions.
Experts note that while viewership and engagement metrics are impressive, YouTube has yet to share commerce-specific data, such as gross merchandise value (GMV) or conversion rates. Without these figures, it’s difficult to determine whether affiliate shopping drives significant revenue or simply increases product visibility.
Shopping Watch Time Surges 400%
A 400% spike in shopping-related content underscores the scale of opportunity. However, analysts caution that watch time alone doesn’t guarantee purchases.
Platforms like TikTok Shop reportedly generated over US$6 billion in GMV from Indonesia alone, setting a high benchmark for YouTube’s nascent affiliate efforts.
Still, the growth of creator-led commerce in Indonesia is unmistakable. As consumers increasingly rely on trusted creators for purchase decisions, YouTube’s integration with Lazada could capture valuable mindshare, even if most transactions still occur off-platform.
APIs Could Unlock Bigger Commerce Wins
Tech analysts suggest the next frontier lies in data integration. Currently, creators use Google Merchant Center to tag products manually, a process that becomes cumbersome when managing hundreds of SKUs across multiple marketplaces.
Third-party SaaS platforms could bridge that gap by creating middleware tools that sync product catalogs, automate tagging, and link affiliate reports across YouTube and Lazada. APIs connecting these systems could finally give merchants clear visibility into which creators drive actual sales.
Platforms like impact.com, already established in affiliate tracking, may help standardize reporting infrastructure. Still, tying YouTube’s affiliate analytics to Southeast Asian e-commerce attribution systems remains a technical challenge that will determine the model’s long-term success.
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