Not Trying To Become E-Commerce Company: YouTube India MD To NDTV
YouTube India Managing Director Gunjan Soni clarified that the platform is not transitioning into an e-commerce company despite the growth of shopping-related content. Instead, YouTube aims to facilitate creator-led commerce by integrating product tagging that links directly to merchant partners.
Why it matters
This strategy reflects a broader trend in the creator economy where social media platforms act as discovery engines rather than direct retailers to drive retail growth.
Shopping is a big growth area for YouTube but it does not intend to become an e-commerce company, YouTube India's Managing Director Gunjan Soni has said.In an exclusive interview with NDTV's Shiv Aroor on Tuesday, when the 2025 YouTube India impact report was released, showing that the platform contributed Rs 18,000 crore to India's GDP, Soni said the watch time for shopping content, which was already high, increased 55% year on year.Asked about YouTube India's plans in the area, Soni said, "We are not trying to become an e-commerce company ourselves. Our approach is to work with e-commerce partners to bring alive their journey. Nearly 450 million logged-in users had shopping-related searches on YouTube, so they were actively seeking input.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in