YouTube adds Amazon to its shopping affiliate program, enabling US creators to tag Amazon products in Shorts, longform videos, and livestreams (Anna Washenko/Engadget)

On Thursday, YouTube announced a new feature that allows eligible creators in the U.S. to tag Amazon products within their content, including shorts, long-form videos, and livestreams. This addition to the platform's Shopping affiliate program enables creators to earn a commission from sales made through their recommendations.

Creators can incorporate Amazon products directly into their videos, eliminating the need to share Associates links in the video description. If a specific product cannot be found, creators can request its inclusion via YouTube Support. Additionally, YouTube's system offers auto-tagging support, where it can automatically review recent uploads to identify and tag eligible Amazon products.

YouTube emphasizes that creators will not see detailed earnings breakdowns for individual products or videos in their analytics; however, they will see overall daily earnings within YouTube Studio. If a viewer returns an item, the associated commission will be deducted from the creator's earnings. Notably, these tags are visible to viewers globally, potentially opening up international purchasing opportunities.

While currently available only to eligible U.S. creators, the tagged products can be matched with trusted local merchant offers, allowing creators to earn commissions on eligible international purchases. If no local merchant is available, viewers will be directed to the Amazon U.S. website, where the commission will be earned from the U.S. sale.

To qualify for this feature, creators must be enrolled in YouTube's Partner and Shopping Affiliate programs, possess an active Amazon Influencer or Associates account, and link it to their YouTube channel.