Google launches interactive YouTube ads for e-commerce

Google has launched new advertising opportunities for YouTube, allowing users to see interactive content. Also, users can make purchases without leaving the platform, reports Silicon Angle. Companies need to make their promotions in streams more attractive in this way.

The new features are part of the TrueView advertising format. One of the options is a format for companies in the travel and entertainment industries. This allows users to buy tickets via interactive elements in an advertisement. For example, an airline can show a flight schedule to a specific destination, which consumers had previously searched for on YouTube or Google.

Buy directly

It is also possible for users to buy the product for which the advertisement is for directly via YouTube. Ads can ask users to download an app from there. This can be interesting for app developers, but also for traditional companies such as shops.

With the new advertising options, users need to take significantly fewer steps to complete the action a brand wants users to take. There is a good chance that there will be more involvement from users and that it will become more attractive for companies to advertise on YouTube.

At the moment, companies are already spending a lot of money on advertisements on the platform. There are no specific figures from Google itself, but according to CNBC, the platform’s turnover last year was 12.8 billion dollars. Turnover is expected to reach 22 billion dollars in 2020. With the new advertising options, there is a good chance that Google will reach that milestone much sooner.

Analytics

The company has also made new improvements to its analytics services, allowing marketers to more clearly measure and view the results of a campaign. For example, there are two new metrics to provide insight into the number of people whose opinion of a brand has been positively influenced by an advertisement. The metrics also provide insight into the average costs per affected user.