Now you may be able to shop on YouTube through its 'shoppable videos'

YouTube plans to host Holiday Stream and Shop, a week-long live streaming event, where select social media stars will sell their merchandise directly on the platform in the US. It's part of YouTube's larger efforts to become a shopping destination.

In the coming weeks, selected YouTubers will sell goods directly from their videos, a concept known as shoppable video. YouTube has signed up Starrr and other creators, including Gordon Ramsay, MrBeast and the Merrill Twins, for the holiday livestream event, who will kick off the week selling items from Verizon, Samsung and Walmart. 

YouTube is banking on the influence of its stars, who have built successful businesses selling merchandise on their YouTube channels through weblinks.

In recent times, the company has faced new competition in advertising from the likes of Amazon, which is also growing its ads unit.

"We're making their jobs harder," David Katz, YouTube's vice president for shopping, said in an interview. "YouTube has an enormous shopping opportunity."

YouTube asked creators to track the items they featured in videos as an initial step to embed buying options directly inside videos. 

YouTube has hired Katz, an e-commerce veteran, and Bridget Dolan, an executive with beauty chain Sephora, to lead a new division focused on shopping.

Research firm EMarketer estimates that Chinese social commerce will hit $352 billion this year, almost 10 times larger than the market in the US. YouTube is attempting something similar; last month, Li Jiaqi, a top Chinese live streamer, sold $1.9 billion of goods on the first day of Alibaba's annual festival.

YouTube's rivals in social media — Facebook, TikTok and Snapchat — are now trying to become shopping platforms as well.

The search company recently partnered with Shopify, Square and others to create a sort of anti-Amazon alliance in e-commerce. YouTube will rely on Google's commerce system to connect with merchants and delivery systems. 

Initially, YouTube will limit its shopping service to tech and beauty items. Katz said the operation will begin only with physical goods but may expand to digital items, and he didn't rule out selling cryptocurrency eventually.