Google has unveiled a set of advertising tools designed to connect its AI-powered Search features with YouTube’s creator ecosystem, aiming to close the gap between product discovery and checkout for brands across Southeast Asia.

The announcement was made at Google Marketing Live Southeast Asia in Singapore, one of the region’s largest gatherings of brands and advertisers. The company said Search usage in the region is at an all-time high, with 82 percent of AI Overviews and AI Mode users in Southeast Asia saying the features help them decide faster, and 80 percent saying it helps them decide with more confidence. Among Gen Z users, 86 percent said the tools help manage decision fatigue.

Video commerce scaling fast on YouTube

Southeast Asia’s video-first, creator-led digital economy has made it a global hub for video commerce, which the company said grew fivefold between 2022 and 2025 and now accounts for a quarter of the region’s total e-commerce gross merchandise value. The YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program, which lets creators tag products directly in videos, Shorts and livestreams, has seen more than 6 million videos in the region carry shoppable tags since its launch two years ago. Over half of eligible creators have enrolled, and total creator payouts have grown more than 105 percent year-on-year.

“As people realise just how much more Search can do for them, AI is transforming how they explore and shop across our region. We are doubling down on this shift in Search while turbocharging the power of YouTube creators to partner with businesses and build better shopping experiences,” said Sapna Chadha, Google Vice President for Southeast Asia and South Asia Frontier.

New tools bridge discovery and checkout

Three new solutions were introduced to close the gap between shopping discovery and final purchase. Commerce Media Suite routes high-intent shoppers from a YouTube ad directly to a marketplace checkout page, using real-time shopping signals such as search and cart activity. Google is piloting the tool with Shopee, with early tests showing a 7.4 percent incremental revenue lift for Maybelline alongside a strong return on ad spend.

Creator Partnerships Boost, formerly known as Partnership Ads, lets brands promote a creator’s videos as ads running natively from the creator’s own handle, extending reach beyond their organic following. Affiliate Partnerships Boost allows marketplaces and retailers to turn high-performing affiliate videos into paid ads, giving creators an additional revenue stream when the ads convert into sales. Southeast Asia is among the first regions globally to pilot the affiliate tool, also alongside Shopee.