YouTube integration FAQs

Spring’s YouTube merch integration means that you can have your products appear beneath your YouTube videos. Sell products through your video content to diversify your income and make your brand more accessible to your community on YouTube. Here’s what it looks like:

Integration perks

All YouTube integration creators can access fast, VIP support using premiumhelp@spri.ng. Our Creator Experience Team is available between Monday – Friday 8:30AM – 5:00PM EST. We aim to respond to all inquiries within 24 business hours.

• If you have 100k+ subs, you qualify for a one-time design consultation. Our design team will review up to 3 design files for you within five business days.   
• We also provide a free design for creators with over 500k subs who have uploaded a video in the past 60 days. Once your design is created we’ll send you the original art files to use on products, promotional assets, channel assets, etc.

If you think you qualify for these perks, please email premiumhelp@spri.ng and we’ll put you in contact with a Strategic Partner Manager.

How to set up YouTube merch integration

 You can set up the Spring x YouTube merch integration in minutes. We’ve created short video to explain the process or you can follow the step by step instructions below:

1) Navigate to your YouTube Studio, and click on “Monetization.” You’ll only see this option if your channel is eligible. Learn more.

2) Navigate to merchandise and click “see more”. Then click “Get Started” to proceed to connect accounts. From there, click “Get Spring ID” which will open a new tab on Spring. Just sign in with your Spring account.

3) Once you sign in (or sign up), you’ll see your nine-digit “Store ID” number. You’ll also receive an email with your store ID. Copy and paste your store ID  into your YouTube Studio to finalize the connection.

4) Within the YouTube Studio, you’ll have the ability to disable or disconnect your Spring and YouTube accounts. If you’re not quite ready for products to show up underneath your videos, you can click the “Disabled” toggle. You can also update your products’ visibility settings on Spring too. If you want to completely dissociate your YouTube and Spring accounts, click “Disconnect account.” 

The “Spring product editor” takes you to the product launcher on Spring, where you can   create and customize products. Note, it can take 2 – 3 business days for products to appear underneath your videos after completing the connection or when creating new products. To ensure products are reviewed quickly and correctly, please use clear product descriptions of over 20 characters.

Organizing your merch shelf

If you don’t choose a specific item order for individual videos, your products will be arranged in the same way as your channel. The following instructions will tell you how you can choose the item order for individual videos.

 

• Sign in to YouTube Studio.
• In the left-hand menu, click Videos.
• Click on the video where you want to customize your merch shelf. In the left-hand menu, click Monetization.
• Click the Merchandise tab. You’ll only see this option if your channel is eligible. Click Organize on the ‘Status’ card.
• Drag, drop and order up to 12 items. Viewers may see fewer items depending on the device that they’re using. On desktop: The first 4–5 items will appear, and viewers will have to interact with the shelf to see more items. On mobile: Only the first item is displayed on mobile devices. Viewers can see the other items by interacting with the shelf.
• Click Done. In the top right-hand corner, click Save. 

Remove video level customization

If you want to go back to an automatic video arrangement, you will be able to do so at the channel level.

• Sign in to YouTube Studio beta.
• In the left-hand menu, click Videos. Click on the video where you want to remove video-level customization of your merch shelf. 
• In the left-hand menu, click Monetization. Click the Merchandise tab. You’ll only see this option if your channel is eligible.
• Click Organize on the ‘Status’ card.
• Drag and drop all items back to the inventory list or clear the selection. Click Save.

Promoting products on YouTube

Once activated, the YouTube merch integration enables creators to promote their products using end screens, channel stores, pinned merch and more. Check out the videos below.

Don’t forget Spring’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.

Further FAQ’s

I’ve hit 10K subs, when can I get access to the merch shelf?

YouTube is rolling the integration out to more creators globally every day. There is no exact time frame as to when a creator will get access after hitting 10k subscribers (assuming they meet all eligibility requirements). Once access is granted, YouTube will notify you through Yoda notifications. You must  also be monetizing on YouTube, which is unlocked via the YouTube Partner Program (YPP), as well as meet additional criteria which is listed on the YouTube merch help center. If you need further assistance on this topic, please contact YouTube support.

Where can I find my store ID?

First, you must complete the onboarding process described above through your YouTube Studio, allowing you to sign into Spring to create a Store ID. It is important to copy and paste the Store ID into your YouTube Studio to finalize the connection. Afterwards, you can reference your Store ID in three locations:

• You will receive an email from Spring containing your Store ID as soon as you sign in or sign up through the YouTube Studio
• While signed into your Spring account, visit teespring.com/youtube/gmc to bring up the original Store ID page.
• In your Spring dashboard settings.

Will this affect my Google AdSense revenue or cost me anything?

No, this is a free service provided by YouTube and Spring. It does not detract from your AdSense revenue.

Do I need to include links in my video descriptions or do in-video promotion with the merch shelf?

Yes, this program has only been rolled out to viewers in a few countries, which means some parts of your global community may not see the feature. To make sure they don’t miss your products, make sure you provide other routes to your store and listings.

How many products are displayed on the merch shelf?

The YouTube merch shelf will display up to 12 products, selected from your active, non-private listings. If you have multiple colors, the featured color will be displayed.

Can I select the order in which my products are displayed on my merch shelf?

Yes, you can. You can select the order of products in the monetization tab of your YouTube Studio for your entire channel. You can also select specific products to be tied to individual videos in the monetization settings of your videos. Otherwise, designs will be ordered based on sales, with the most popular displayed first. We’ll prioritize products launched in the previous 10 days over older designs. You cannot exclude certain videos from having the merch shelf. It will appear under all of your video content.

What data does Spring share with YouTube?

We share data about your Spring account, including number of purchases, number of page visits, retail price of items sold, total revenue and profit, cancelled orders, and whether the page visit came from the merch shelf. We do not share any personally identifiable information with YouTube.

Why is my listing available on Spring, but not on my merch shelf?

Products featured in the merch shelf must comply with YouTube’s Community Guidelines. If your design is listed on Spring but not on the merch shelf it may have been removed due to content concerns. If you recently uploaded the design to your store, it can take 2-3 business days to show up on YouTube. If you are having trouble getting new products to show, please contact premiumhelp@spri.ng.

If you need further help, use YouTube’s “contact us” page or YouTube’s help center article.