Apparently, YouTube has decided that watching a product review is no longer enough. Now you can also interrogate the video about the product.
The company is expanding Ask YouTube, an interactive feature designed to help viewers while they search for products and watch related videos. And yes, that little area beside the video is now apparently fair game for questions. That’s not a chat area! Well… YouTube disagrees.
YouTube says people already use the platform to research everything from phones and skincare products to back-to-school purchases. The new Ask YouTube capabilities are meant to make that process more interactive, letting viewers ask questions and follow up on them while they shop.
When searching for reviews of a particular product, YouTube may now organize relevant videos into more useful recommendations. That can include a comparison table showing product attributes and categories based on what you’re looking for.
So instead of opening 14 review videos, forgetting which one mentioned battery life, and then going back through all of them like you’re preparing for a congressional hearing, YouTube wants to help organize the information for you.
The more interesting part comes after you actually open a video.
You can continue asking questions about the product directly from the video’s watch page. In other words, the conversation doesn’t necessarily end when you pick a review to watch. YouTube wants Ask YouTube to stick around and help you dig into the product while the video is playing.
The feature is also designed to work beyond the traditional phone-and-browser setup. YouTube says viewers can use the interactive experience while on the go, as well as with voice commands when watching on a TV.
That makes Ask YouTube feel less like a conventional search feature and more like having a shopping assistant sitting next to your video. Except this shopping assistant lives inside YouTube and apparently has no problem turning the video page into its personal Q&A booth.
And honestly, if you’re already asking questions about a phone while watching someone review it, YouTube probably figured it was only a matter of time before it gave you an actual place to ask them.
Discover more from GadgetBond
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
