Google boosts video commerce with AI shopping tools

New tools combine AI Search with YouTube shopping.

Google has launched new AI-powered search and YouTube advertising tools at Google Marketing Live Southeast Asia to help brands reach shoppers and drive online sales across the region.

According to Google, 82% of Southeast Asian users of AI Overviews or AI Mode said they make decisions faster, whilst 80% said they make decisions more confidently.

Amongst Gen Z users, 86% said the AI features help reduce decision fatigue.

Google said the new tools combine Search's purchase intent signals with YouTube's creator ecosystem to help brands move consumers from product discovery to checkout.

Sapna Chadha, Google's vice president for Southeast Asia and South Asia Frontier, said AI is changing how consumers search and shop in the region, whilst YouTube creators are playing a larger role in influencing purchasing decisions.

“We are doubling down on this shift in Search whilst turbocharging the power of YouTube creators to partner with businesses and build better shopping experiences,” he said.

Google also highlighted the growth of video commerce in Southeast Asia, saying the sector expanded fivefold between 2022 and 2025 and now accounts for 25% of the region's e-commerce gross merchandise value (GMV).

The company said more than six million YouTube videos in Southeast Asia now include shoppable product tags through the YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program, which launched two years ago.

More than half of eligible creators have joined the program, whilst creator payouts have increased by more than 105% year over year.

To support advertisers, Google introduced three new solutions.

The Commerce Media Suite is designed to streamline the shopping journey by directing users from YouTube advertisements to marketplace checkout pages. Using real-time shopping signals such as search activity and cart additions, the platform enables marketplaces and brands to deliver more relevant ads to potential buyers.

Google said it is currently piloting the solution with Shopee. During early tests, Maybelline recorded a 7.4% increase in revenue and a strong return on ad spend.

Google also announced Creator Partnerships Boost, formerly known as Partnership Ads, which allows brands to amplify creators' YouTube content as paid advertisements while retaining the creator's identity.

The feature aims to extend the reach of creator content beyond organic audiences and increase engagement.

Completing the lineup is Affiliate Partnerships Boost, a pilot program that enables marketplaces and retailers to promote high-performing affiliate videos as paid advertisements.

The initiative is intended to expand product visibility whilst creating additional commission opportunities for creators when ads result in sales.

The company said there is no fixed commission structure across these offerings. Instead, merchants, including brands and retailers participating in YouTube Shopping, set their own commission rates, which vary depending on the brand and product category. 

"The commission rate varies by brand and product category," Google said in response to queries. "Because brands set their own rates to compete for creator tags, there is no single flat rate for the entire platform."

Creators can also view the commission for each eligible product before choosing to tag it, providing transparency over potential earnings.

Moreover, Google said Affiliate Partnerships Boost is being tested with selected partners and enables eligible YouTube Shopping merchants to amplify affiliate creator content through media investment to help scale sales.

Southeast Asia is amongst the first regions globally to pilot the new affiliate advertising solution in partnership with Shopee.