In addition to creating a livestream with SHOPLINE Live, you can enhance brand and product exposure by connecting to YouTube Live, providing customers with a comprehensive live shopping experience.
⚠️ Note: This article will guide you through integrating and setting up a YouTube livestream. For more details on starting a YouTube livestream, please refer to this article.
This article will cover the following:
1. Introduction to YouTube Live Shopping
If you meet the YouTube Partner Program (YPP) requirements, you will be eligible to use the YouTube Live Shopping feature to promote and sell products on YouTube.
YPP requirements are as follows:
- Get 500 subscribers with 3 valid public uploads in the last 90 days and 3,000 valid public view hours in the last 12 months, or;
- Get 500 subscribers with 3 valid public uploads in the last 90 days and 3 million valid public Short views in the last 90 days.
YouTube Live Shopping offers the following features:
- YouTube channel store.
- Call-to-action overlays (ads) over live products and videos.
(See also What are call-to-action overlays?) - Promote, tag, and sell products in your videos, Shorts, and livestreams.
- Set up GA4 and connect to the YouTube channel and Google Merchant Center for monitoring live shopping performance.
2. Setup
Step 1
In SHOPLINE Admin, go to [Social Commerce] > [SHOPLINE Live] and click Create live stream.
Step 2
Select YouTube as the live broadcast channel and click Next to proceed.
Step 3
Complete the following steps:
i. Set up GA4 in "Tracker Setting"
GA4 allows you to track all customer browsing behaviors and clickstream data on your website and to record purchasing behaviors, events, and values. You can also track revenue generated from YouTube Live Shopping broadcasts across devices.
If you haven't set up GA4, click Go to Set and it will open the page in [Marketing & Tracker] > [Tracker Settings] > [Google Analytics 4]. For more setup details, please refer to this article.
ii. Install Google Merchant Center Content API in Apps Store and set up hidden products
Through a Content API connection, your product info will be auto-uploaded onto Google Merchant Center, allowing them to be accessible in Google Ads, YouTube Live Shopping, and other Google services.
a. Install Google Merchant Center - Content API app
If you haven't installed the Content API app, click Manage Settings and it will open the page in [Apps] > [Apps Store] > Google Merchant Center - Content API. Follow the steps to complete the setup. For more details, please refer to this article.
b. Set up hidden products
If you want to showcase specific products only during the livestream, you can go to Admin > [Products & Categories] > [Products] and click the Edit button next to the product. Then, under the "Settings" tab, switch on the "Hidden Product" toggle.
- The hidden product will be revealed on the Google Merchant Center or YouTube store on the expected live broadcast time.
- Before or during the livestream, you can go to the "Settings" tab and switch off the "Hidden Product" toggle to reveal the product.
iii. Go to Google Merchant Center to set up the connection between GA4 and Google Merchant Center
Go to Google Merchant Center and connect your GA4 account to view your products in the YouTube Channel admin.
The following will explain how to connect GA4 in your Google Merchant Center:
Step 1. Go to Google Merchant Center and click open the "gear" icon on the top right and select Conversion settings.
Step 2. Switch on the auto-tagging toggle.
Step 3. Click Add conversion source.
Step 4. Select Google Analytics as the conversion source.
Step 5. Link Google Analytics property.
If your email address used in the Merchant Center account has admin access to Google Analytics, it will display an option of "Select an existing property you have admin access to" in the pop-up window.
Read the terms of service and click Accept.
Your GA4 is now connected.
*Note: Please ensure that the "Auto-tagging" is enabled and the GA4 status is "Active".
iv. Connect to YouTube
Upon completion, the system will import your store URL and Google Merchant Center account. You only need to enter your YouTube channel ID & URL.
How to find your YouTube channel ID?
1. Go to YouTube channel admin, click on the profile picture on the top right,
and select Settings.
2. Go to the "Advanced settings" tab to view the channel ID.
*Note: You need to log in as the channel owner to be able to view
this information.
Select the expected live broadcast time. The hidden product will be revealed in the YouTube admin at your expected live broadcast time.
*Note: Due to limitations in product uploads on YouTube / Google Merchant Center, you can only choose a time for the expected live broadcast that is later than the next 24 hours. You won't be able to edit the time within 24 hours of the expected broadcast time.
Step 4
Click Add product(s).
Step 5
Upon completion, click Save.
3. Connect the store on YouTube
Go to YouTube Studio to complete the relevant setups:
- Go to [Earn] > [Shopping] tab:
- If you have not connected a store yet, click the Connect Store button.
- If you have already connected a store, you can also click the Connect button to connect additional stores.
- Select Other store.
- Select your Google Merchant Center account.
- Agree to YouTube Merchant Terms.
- Upon completion, please ensure your Google Merchant Center account is displayed in the "Connected stores" section.
It will require approximately 1-2 days for the products to be reviewed. Once approved, the products will be displayed in this section.
Tag (select) products to be displayed on the YouTube livestream backstage.
*Notes:
- To ensure a successful broadcast, it is recommended to do a test broadcast on the YouTube channel before the actual live broadcast.
- Due to limitations from YouTube, it is currently unable to start a livestream directly from SHOPLINE Admin. Likewise, you will need to end the livestream from the YouTube admin.
Read more
- Google Merchant Center URL Verification
- [Coming Soon] Google Merchant Center Content API
- [Coming Soon] Youtube Live | Start a Livestream
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