Social Rocket
YouTube is rolling out its Shopping affiliate program in Germany from 3 September 2026. At launch, OTTO, MediaMarktSaturn, Kaufland, About You, Shop-Apotheke, Tchibo, Bonprix, Home24, Thalia and XXXLutz are among the connected retailers. In parallel, YouTube is updating its rules and labels for affiliate and branded content.
For creators, this opens an additional source of income directly within Shorts, long-form videos and livestreams: products can be tagged in the content, viewers get from there to the retailer, and creators receive a commission on qualifying sales.
YouTube Shopping gets its first broad rollout in Germany
YouTube names a relevant starting point for Germany: in June 2026, according to internal platform data, more than 25 million registered users ran shopping-related searches on YouTube. In an internal global experiment in July 2026, videos also generated, according to YouTube, over 110 percent more product clicks when creators used product tags instead of only links in the description.
For retailers, this is interesting because product contact moves closer to the actual content. Creators can tag products directly where they are explained, tested or recommended. Retailers, in turn, can extend high-reach creator videos into media campaigns, according to YouTube.
How such revenue models fit alongside classic platform payouts is shown in our overview of creator monetisation on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. We also looked at the pricing logic brands increasingly question in creator partnerships in our article on creator marketing and falling price pressure.
YouTube tests local retailers for affiliate products
In addition, YouTube is testing new retailer logic for affiliate tags. The platform can show the same product tagged by a creator through another qualifying local retailer. YouTube wants to test whether local availability and shorter delivery routes improve shopping performance.
According to YouTube, the test applies exclusively to affiliate product tags. Videos where creators have enabled the setting for paid product placements are not affected.
For brands, the change is still relevant: the platform is thereby optimising not only which product is shown, but potentially also through which retailer the purchase takes place.
Branded content gets clearer labels
YouTube is also revising its guidance for paid partnerships. Viewers should see an updated branded content label that conveys the context of a partnership more clearly. Creators also gain new options to restrict paid content by age and location in order to comply with regional or demographic requirements.
More important in practice is automatic detection: if YouTube detects branded content in a newly uploaded video that the creator has not declared, the platform can add the corresponding disclosure label itself, according to its own announcement.
This makes disclosure of partnerships more a part of platform logic and less a purely manual creator task. For brands and agencies, it is therefore worth defining approvals, disclosure and regional distribution already in the briefing rather than checking them only at upload.
Which metrics actually matter after publication is shown in our guide to social media goals and KPIs.