How to sell more merch using YouTube’s new livestream update

Now you can ‘pin’ your merch to the top of chat while live streaming! This feature enables you to drop merch in an engaging way by highlighting your products for all viewers on stream. It’s also extremely effective for driving sales when combined with samples, promo codes, and limited edition merch drops. Keep in mind you need to have access to the YouTube merch shelf in order to pin merch when using YouTube Live. 

Don’t forget, Teespring’s integration with Streamlabs empowers YouTube streamers to reward and engage fans with live OBS alerts for every merch purchase. Alerts have proven effective for encouraging other viewers on the stream to follow suit and purchase as well

3 way to increase sales while streaming + pinning merch

There are lots of ways you can take advantage of this feature to drive more sales (especially during Black Friday and over the holidays). Check out the most popular methods below.

1. Samples: Currently creators are using samples to increase sales by up to 50% and when combined with YouTube Live this can be an extremely effective promotional technique.  Order samples of your merch ahead of time and wear them while streaming to get viewers excited about your products. 
2. Limited time promo codes: Another great way to drive sales and engagement while streaming is to offer promo codes that expire in a short amount of time (like after the stream ends). You can create promo codes instantly in your Teespring account to share on stream.
3. Limited edition merch: Announcing limited edition merch during live stream is also very effective. Make the product available for a very limited amount of time to create a sense of urgency and make the purchasing experience both special and memorable. If you’re planning a merch drop make sure to update the listing’s visibility setting to ‘public’ ahead of time so your products will be added to your Merch Shelf product catalog.

 

How to pin your merch during live streams

Follow the steps below to create your own live stream merch drops now. 

1. In YouTube’s Live Control Room, create a new live stream or navigate to one you have already created
2. Click on the Merchandise tab below the live stream preview
3. Select the merchandise item you would like to promote by searching through your list of items, and click it or drag it to the Merchandise preview panel
4. Click on “Pin merchandise” to pin the item on top of chat and promote it to your viewers
5. To end the promotion, click on “Unpin merchandise”

Ready set up YouTube Mech Shelf?

 

FAQ’s 

For more information on YouTube Live merch, visit YouTube’s help center article.

Can you pin multiple products throughout the course of a stream?

Yes, you can pin one item at a time, but you can unpin and pin any other item among those approved.

Can you pin multiple products at the same time?

Users can pin one item at a time, this maximizes the effectiveness of the feature.  

How long does a product say ‘pinned’?

The product stays pinned until the stream ends. Fans can also dismiss the card if they prefer not to see it.

Is there a way to tell the difference between live sales from video sales in the YouTube dashboard?

Not yet, all sales will be reflected in the merchandise section of your YouTube Studio.