Conditions Right for Shoppable TV, Say Summit Panelists

The combination of connected devices, ubiquitous cloud-based payment systems and audiences accustomed to interactive TV content means technology to allow viewers to shop with their televisions could finally take hold, said panelists at a Stream TV virtual summit Wednesday. Recent changes to privacy rules and Google’s stance against website cookies could mean digital advertisers will be looking for innovative ways to spend their budgets, and “shoppable TV” could be that opportunity, said Evan Moore, NBCUniversal Advertising & Partnerships senior vice president-commerce partnerships. Existing TV shopping offerings primarily use onscreen QR codes for viewers to scan with their phones, but companies are looking to go further, said Carl Fremont, CEO of ad agency Quigley. Viewers of NBCU’s Love Island USA are offered on screen the chance to buy items worn on the show after each episode, said Moore. The ad industry is also looking at AI-based technology that can “ingest” a video and find items comparable to the furniture or the cast’s clothing in a retailer’s inventory and offer it to viewers, Kerv Interactive’s Gary Mittman said. For shoppable TV to work, the actual transaction has to be as frictionless as possible, Mittman said. That can mean using a phone to make the purchase, clicking a button on the remote, or eventually voice commands, he said. “It could be a one-click transaction; the opportunities are broad,” he said.