People often turn to YouTube before buying something. They want to see how a product looks, hear what other people think of it and work out whether it suits their needs before spending their money.
YouTube is now testing a new way to help them do that, which could give online retailers another opportunity to be discovered.
The new shopping feature is being added to Ask YouTube, the platform’s experimental AI (artificial intelligence) search tool.
When someone searches for reviews of a product, Ask YouTube may show a selection of relevant videos arranged in a comparison table. This can highlight product details based on what the person is looking for.
After opening a video, they can ask further questions about the product without leaving the page.
If they then open one of the videos, they can ask further questions about the product directly from the watch page, making it easier to continue their research without having to start a new search.
What does this mean for online businesses?
Someone looking to buy a new coffee machine might want to compare sizes, see how easy different models are to use or find out which one is best suited to their kitchen.
Instead of watching several reviews from start to finish, Ask YouTube could help them find the videos that are most relevant to the questions they are asking.
For online retailers, this creates another opportunity for their products to be discovered.
A useful review or demonstration could put a product in front of someone who is already considering a purchase, even if they have never heard of the retailer before. It also gives businesses another reason to think carefully about the questions customers ask before making a purchase.
Clear product information is important, and video can help show details that are harder to judge from a photograph or written description alone.
Businesses could demonstrate how a product works, show its size in a real setting or work with reviewers who can give potential customers a clearer idea of what the product is actually like to use.
This doesn’t mean uploading a video will guarantee a place in Ask YouTube’s recommendations.
YouTube has not explained exactly how it will choose videos for these shopping results, and the search feature is currently being tested with a limited number of users in the United States.
The wider point is that product discovery is changing. Customers may come across an online shop’s products while asking questions and comparing reviews on YouTube before they ever visit its website.
If this feature becomes more widely available, it could give retailers another way to reach people who are already researching what to buy.
If you want help making your ecommerce website easier to discover through search and emerging AI tools, speak to our team at Engage Web today.
- YouTube to add shopping feature to Ask YouTube AI - October 2, 2026
- Google Search Console adds new filter for image-based searches - October 1, 2026
- How do you know if ChatGPT ads are working? - September 24, 2026
