YouTube updates – your Merch Shelf on mobile

Heads up, creators! You might have already noticed: your Merch Shelf isn’t where it used to be. At least not on mobile.

On your computer or your phone, the Merch Shelf for creator stores used to show right below the video. Now, on mobile, there’s an ad where this used to be.

Not to worry – your Merch Shelf hasn’t disappeared. We’ve got the lowdown on where to find it and everything else you need to know about the update.

What’s changed

The placement of the Merch Shelf on mobile phones and tablets has changed. Since 4 October, on mobile, YouTube now shows ads where the Merch Shelf used to appear below the video.

However, this doesn’t mean content creators’ products have disappeared. The YouTube update has automatically moved the Merch Shelf to the video description.

So your fans can keep browsing and shopping your creator products here whenever they like. The changes only apply to the mobile version, too.

On desktop, YouTube already showed the Merch Shelf under the video description and not in the recommended video feed. This means nothing’s changed for users who check out your content and merch on their computers.

Why did YouTube make the change?

The reason behind the changes was a side effect of showing products right below a video on mobile: this pushed some of the organic content and ads so far down that users couldn’t see them right away. This causes impressions to be lost.

Add your products to the video description

YouTube video descriptions are short text sections where you can put additional information on the content of your YouTube video. This includes everything from a description of the video and links to related videos, social media and websites to time stamps.

Creator products that used to appear on Merch Shelf have now made their way to the video description. That makes it a new and reliable jumping-off point for shopping features on YouTube.

How to tag products in your videos

If you want to highlight the products showcased in the video, you can tag them – just as you did before. We’ve got the lowdown on how it works.

Tagging products in existing YouTube videos

YouTube already updated the video tagging process back in summer. Here’s how it works:

• Tagging in the desktop version
  Want to tag products in videos and Shorts that are already online? You’ll find the YouTube Studio tagging tool under ‘Video details’.
  You can tag up to 30 products per video or Short. Simply drag and drop your merch product into the product box, hit ‘Save’, and you’re done.
  
• Tagging in the mobile version
  The tagging function works in a very similar way on the mobile app: you can also find it here in the YouTube Studio. video details. Beside the product, you’ll find a ‘+’ symbol. Tap the plus symbol, then ‘Done’, to tag up to 30 products in your videos and Shorts on your smartphone.
  

Tagging in new videos

Tagging is even simpler when uploading new videos and Shorts. Just hit ‘Tag products’ when you upload. The tagging tool will open and you can select all the products that appear in the video.

Your audience can view your merch via a little Shopping button in your content – and the selection in your Merch Shelf, of course.

Tagging in live streams

You can also turn your live streams into the ultimate opportunity for fans to shop. Set up your live stream as normal. Then use the ‘+’ symbol to select the items you want to show in the product area. Once the stream is up and running, you can pin the preselected items at any time.

Our tip: tag more products from your Spreadshop in your videos and proactively encourage your fans to check out your merch products in the video descriptions. That way you can get the best out of your YouTube content.