YouTube launches its Shopping affiliate programme in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt.
YouTube has opened its Shopping affiliate programme to creators in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt. Amazon is the first retail partner, and creators earn a commission when viewers buy products they tag.
Eligible creators in the YouTube Partner Programme can tag products in videos, Shorts and livestreams. Viewers go from the video to the retailer's checkout with a click. Google AI spots products on screen and suggests tags, which cuts manual work, and people watching on a TV can scan an on-screen QR code to buy on their phone. Campaign Middle East says the programme is subject to platform requirements; Communicate puts the entry bar at 500 subscribers for Partner Programme members, a figure Campaign does not give. Creators can also earn from purchases made by viewers outside the three markets.
YouTube backs the launch with its own numbers. It says people worldwide watch more than 40 billion hours of shopping-related content a year, and that in June 2026 more than 40 million logged-in users across Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and the UAE searched for shopping content. A Kantar survey cited in the coverage found that 86% of viewers in Saudi Arabia and the UAE see YouTube as having the most trusted creators for product recommendations, and 84% of Saudi respondents said it helps them shop with more confidence. Communicate adds that 94% rated it best for instructional videos, 85% for reviews and 80% for unboxing. These are YouTube's figures, and neither outlet gives the survey's sample size or dates.
Javid Aslanov, YouTube's head in MENA, calls this a first step, with more local and international retailers to follow. Neither report gives commission rates or a date for those retailers. Communicate names three creators in the launch: Bander Madkhali of Saudi Arabia, Marwan Serry of Egypt and Ayatee of the UAE.
For marketers in the Gulf, the change turns creator content that already drives product research into something with a measurable path to purchase. With Amazon as the only partner for now, retailers outside it have no route in yet, and commission terms will decide how attractive it is to creators. It adds to the shopping affiliate programme YouTube has been widening elsewhere, including the AliExpress partnership.
Why it matters
YouTube creators in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt can now earn commissions on tagged products, so creator videos get a direct route to Amazon checkout.
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