Roku partners Shopify to enable shopping through the TV

Digital media streaming platform Roku will be collaborating with e-commerce platform Shopify to provide its audience with the accessibility and capability to purchase products from Shopify vendors.

Upon seeing an ad for a Shopify merchant, viewers can simply press OK on their Roku remote to learn more about the product and purchase it directly from their TV.

They will be able to check out with Roku Pay, Roku’s payments platform, and return to their streaming experience once they have completed the purchase. Purchasers will receive email confirmation of their order directly from the merchant once the transaction has been processed.Once the transaction has been processed, viewers will attain email confirmation of their order from the vendor and will be transited back to their streaming experience.

The incorporation of Shopify purchases into Roku Action Ads is the first commerce integration for Shopify vendors and with a new advertising channel, Shopify vendors can now expand their consumer reach. The integration also provides a seamless checkout experience to the streamed advertisements present on the Roku platform.

Vendors such as men’s apparel brand True Classic, Ergatta and wellness brand Olly have already signed on as initial partners.

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“Offering a great purchase experience for customers and having sound channel measurement are critical to True Classic’s success,” said Paige Decker, vice president of growth at True Classic.

“Roku Action Ads address both these needs, providing a frictionless path to purchase for customers while 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," said Decker.

With this initiative, Shopify advertisers will be able to gain access to more customer data and insight into purchasing trends as well as access a more wider consumer base with the point-of-sale access to Roku’s audience.

“Roku democratises 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,” said Peter Hamilton, senior director of ad innovation for Roku.  

“Shopify is on a mission to make commerce better for everyone, and by partnering with Roku to make Shopify Checkout available through new channels, we are making it easier for more brands to drive deeper engagement with shoppers and reach new audiences.” Said Mani Fazeli, director of product checkout for Shopify.

The news comes just as Shopify appoints Sling & Stone as its agency of record in Southeast Asia, according to a statement by the agency. 

It has been appointed to build greater awareness, drive adoption and build advocacy for Shopify in Southeast Asia as a leader in commerce and the platform of choice for retail in the region.

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