Shopee and YouTube launch new e-commerce partnership in Southeast Asia

‘YouTube Shopping’ will allow users to purchase products directly from YouTube videos via links to Shopee. 

Alphabet Inc.’s Youtube and  Sea Ltd.’s Shopee have announced the launch of their new online shopping service in Indonesia, with plans for expansion across Southeast Asia. 

This move comes as competition intensifies with rival TikTok, which has recently bolstered its e-commerce presence in the region, Reuters reported.

The new service, YouTube Shopping, will allow users to purchase products directly from YouTube videos via links to Shopee. 

Company executives said that the service will soon be extended to Thailand and Vietnam. Currently, YouTube Shopping is already operational in South Korea and the United States.

Ajay Vidyasagar, YouTube’s Asia-Pacific director, highlighted Indonesia's ‘energy and velocity’ around online shopping landscape as a key factor in the launch decision. 

With this partnership, Alphabet Inc. and Shopee aim to challenge TikTok, which has expanded its ambitions in Southeast Asia following its acquisition of Tokopedia, Indonesia's largest e-commerce platform.

Vidyasagar said that whilst the scale of the partnership with Shopee is significant, he refrained from providing specific figures, Reuters said.

He also noted that YouTube Shopping plans to onboard additional partners "in a phased, sequenced manner."