YouTube, the immensely popular video-sharing platform, let users know what they have done to improve the app during the past year, via a recent blog post. The updates focus on mobile devices, TV capabilities and game systems.
Voice search on mobile devices
Available on Android & iOS mobile devices, voice search now can be used within the YouTube app when streaming to a smart TV. The goal of this new feature is to make it easier to search for YouTube content on TV.
“Simplicity obviously is a key for YouTube and other brands when they are looking to create more personalized content or relatable product offerings,” said Mark Johnson, CEO and CMO of Loyalty360.
More features for more control
The company is hoping to make the process for multiple people to use the YouTube on TV app from the same location easier than it had been. The “Who’s Watching” feature allows users to switch between YouTube profiles that are linked to the device. This gives each person access to their personalized recommendations, subscriptions and more.
“When you look at YouTube’s ability to create engagement based on their ability to personalize the offering, it is imperative for them to know who is actually using or sharing the content,” Johnson added. “They need to be able to PI (personally identify) that person to augment the data sets they have on that person to enhance the model being used for personalization.”
Expansion of TV support
The official YouTube app on Amazon Fire TV devices was launched earlier in 2019, “giving Fire TV users access to a diverse library of video content including music, how-to videos, entertainment, news, gaming, and of course, all your favorite YouTube creators.” This app also works with Alexa, making it even easier to watch YouTube on Fire TV.
Watching YouTube in HDR on PlayStation 4 and PS4 Pro also is now available. This will show HDR videos with more vivid colors and contrasts, according to YouTube.
How it relates to loyalty
“The challenge of creating actionable insight on the person and to be able to PI that person across an array of devices or within a household access point is quite a challenge for brands, yet it is a huge opportunity,” Johnson said. “It was the No. 1 area of focus or topic of interest as voted on by the members of Loyalty360. This is front and center for most brands, as many of them struggle with personalization, segmentation and cadence management. It is not only the challenge of the technology, but also the ability to understand what the customer is placing value in and being able to effectively serve that up in a manner that is mutually beneficial from a value perspective to the brand (engagement and revenue) and the customer (engagement and enjoyment).”