In the News
Shopping on YouTube? In YouTube partners with Merchbar to sell music artists’ swag underneath videos, Sarah Perez at TechCrunch discusses YouTube’s newest collaboration aimed to give creators revenue opportunities and streamline consumer accessibility. Perez explains that this new partnership will allow YouTube creators to sell their branded products in an easily accessible bar beneath their videos. Perez details that YouTube creators who have their merch available for purchase through Merchbar will be able to sign up for this new feature.
Our Take
Online shopping has become somewhat of a pastime in recent years. Now, with more and more YouTube creators unveiling branded products, YouTube has become a platform for discovering new products from your favorite YouTube stars. This new feature will make shopping on YouTube easier from fans and potentially more profitable for the creators themselves. However, whenever new methods of fast-purchasing items are introduced, they bring about certain risks. Easy access to shopping online increases the rate of impulse buying. While this may not be a bad thing a majority of the time, it is always important to take caution when making financial purchases online. Make sure that you trust not only the YouTube creator whose merch you are purchasing, but also that your financial payment information is being stored securely. Just remember: always think before you make a purchase and take the necessary steps to secure your financial information.
Recommendations
How can you better protect your financial information when using social media platforms for shopping?
- Minimize the number of accounts that have direct access to your bank account or card numbers
- Don’t reuse your account passwords, and take advantage of multi-factor authentication where possible.
- Check your email, financial accounts, and credit reports regularly for abnormal activities
- Stay up to date on the news regarding recent fraud and phishing attacks to see if you may have been affected