Retail news that keeps industry pros in the know
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Good news: Now you can get your Christmas shopping out of the way while catching up on the latest season of The Bear.
Roku has teamed up with Shopify to allow viewers to purchase products from their TV through Roku’s action advertisements.
When an ad from a Shopify merchant pops up, a viewer can select it to learn more about the product, and they’ll be able to check out with Roku Pay, the company’s payments platform. Once the transaction is completed, viewers can continue watching and will receive an email confirmation from the merchant.
- “Roku democratizes access to TV advertising, and now, we’re collapsing the funnel for Shopify’s merchants,” Peter Hamilton, senior director of ad innovation at Roku, said in a statement. “This is a great example of Roku’s unique platform position to make advertisers unmissable across the streamer’s journey, from power on to purchase complete.”
Roku Action Ads provide users tools to make transactions, including sending viewers a text, scanning QR codes, or making purchases. The Shopify integration is the newest advertising channel for the platform and, according to Roku, the first of its kind in the streaming world.
- Brands like True Classic, Ergatta, and Olly have signed onto the program.
Throwback: In 2021, Roku launched an application allowing Shopify merchants to build, buy, and measure TV streaming advertising campaigns. The application helped one Shopify merchant with a limited ad budget increase its visibility by 63%.
- A Roku/Harris Poll survey conducted at the time found that almost half (49%) of consumers said they have seen an ad on their streaming service that caused them to pause and shop for the product online.
- The newest integration will give Shopify advertisers more customer data and insights into purchasing trends.
“Shopify's partnership with Roku expands on our existing relationship that allowed Shopify merchants to advertise on Roku devices. With the integration of Shopify Checkout, merchants can simultaneously advertise and sell products directly through Roku, while having visibility into the customer engagement of their ads," Antonio Silva, director of partnerships at Shopify, said in a statement to Retail Brew.
The big picture: Streaming platforms are an emerging avenue retailers and merchants are using to reach more customers.
- Nearly a year ago, Walmart struck a deal with Paramount to offer a free Paramount+ subscription to Walmart+ users.
- In May, Netflix pitched new opportunities for advertisers through its “ad-supported” tier that had nearly 5 million subscribers as of May.
- In April, Disney launched a beta test to allow CPG companies to use Kroger’s data to reach target audiences across Disney’s inventory, starting with Hulu.
“Shopify is at the forefront of commerce, and we’re committed to forging partnerships that keep our merchants on the cutting edge,” Silva told Retail Brew. “Wherever there is an opportunity to connect merchants and buyers together, Shopify is there first. We will continue to expand relationships with new and existing partners to innovate and help merchants explore new avenues for effective customer reach.”