Roku integrates Shopify into one-click shoppable ads

Roku integrates Shopify, allowing users to purchase goods with the click of a remote through ads on its streaming TV platform, it announced on Tuesday.

Shopify has been integrated into Roku’s “Action Ads” – a format meant to drive a next step down the marketing funnel. For the latest integration, when viewers see an ad for a Shopify merchant they press ‘OK’ on their Roku remote. This enables them to both learn more about the product and purchase it directly through their TV.

Roku utilizes its Roku Pay payments platform for checkout, after which users return to their streaming experience. They’ll also receive an email confirmation of their order from the merchant once the purchase is processed. At launch Roku has three Shopify merchant brands on board as initial partners for the experience. These include men’s apparel brand True Classic, game-based connected rower Ergatta, and wellness brand Olly.

“Offering a great purchase experience for customers and having sound channel measurement are critical to True Classic’s success,” said Paige Decker, VP of Growth at True Classic. “Roku Action Ads address both these needs, providing a frictionless path to purchase for customers. Moreover still allowing us to measure the impact of this strategy with the end-to-end Shopify integration. Merging performance-based tactics with the scale of TV is a win-win, and we are excited to explore Roku’s innovation.”

According to Roku, the Shopify’s involvement in Action Ads marks the first commerce integration for independent Shopify merchant partners on streaming TV, marking a new advertising channel.  

Roku’s employed Action Ads before – which it classifies as any advertisements on the streaming platform that provide a down funnel action (ie: sending users a text, scanning a QR cord or making a purchase). In February it teamed up with DoorDash, offering click-to-order food delivery and promotions via SMS or email once viewers interact with an ad. Wendy’s signed on as an early partner.

Roku has also worked on shoppable TV efforts with Walmart since last summer, and more recently counted retail data partnerships with Instacart and Best Buy. And Roku isn’t the only streamer exploring new and shoppable formats. At this year’s NewFront NBCUniversal’s Peacock introduced market availability for its Must ShopTV product, an opt-in experience that brings viewers to a screen where they can browse products from shows (such as “Top Chef” for example) and complete the purchase at that time, or later receive a mobile push notification prompting them to do so. The experience – built on a content commerce engine that NBCU exec Evan Moore previously told StreamTV Insider the company wants to license to third-parties – also leverages NBCU’s Checkout platform, with advanced shoppable product placement powered by KERV Interactive.

As for Roku and Instacart, part of the aim from that tie-up is to quantify streaming TV ads impact on e-commerce product sales for marketers, pairing Roku viewership and Instacart purchasing data. And more data is part of the benefit for Shopify advertisers utilizing Action Ads.

Roku in its announcement today said the experience shortens the funnel from brand awareness to purchase, while also serving Shopify advertisers more customer data and information on purchasing trends, as well as point-of-sale access to Roku’s large streaming audience. As of the end of Q1 Roku counted more than 71 million active accounts and streaming hours in the quarter reached 25.1 billion.

“Bringing a Shopify purchase experience to television for merchants is an industry first, and innovation opportunities like these are precisely the reason I came to Roku,” said Peter Hamilton, senior director of Ad Innovation at Roku, in a statement. “Roku democratizes access to TV advertising, and now, we’re collapsing the funnel for Shopify’s merchants. 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.”

News Source: StreamTV Insider