Disney continues efforts to more tightly align the TV screen and shopping cart, on Friday disclosing two new commerce-enabled ad formats for its streaming services.
The first is a so-called Shop the Stream format, which enables a branded second-screen digital storefront powered by Shopsense AI that’s linked from a streaming ad via QR code. It allows viewers to shop curated items (such as fashion and other products) seen or inspired by content they’re viewing on the media company’s streaming platforms, including series, movies and sports. Disney has its first advertiser partner signed already with Calia by Dick’s Sporting Goods. The brand will be the first to participate in Disney’s “Shop the Stream” for a curated storefront, featured in an upcoming episode of Project Runway.
Shopsense has powered digital storefronts for other streamers before, including Paramount, TelevisaUnivsion and Tastemade.
Other SVODs are also working to enable retail purchases based on what consumers are watching. Amazon – which is seen by some as best positioned to make shoppable TV a reality thanks to its combination of video and ads alongside a massive e-commerce platform – similarly offers a “Shop the Show” feature. Shop the Show involves dedicated digital storefronts on its Prime shopping app that showcase items from and related to content consumers are watching on Prime Video, including series and live sports. Amazon in April expanded the shoppable feature to more than 1,300 titles.
As for Disney, it’s also leaning into and launching another feature that has been seen on other streamers: a “virtual concession stand” shoppable ad snack delivery experience powered by Gopuff. This format is meant to target consumers who are settling in for a viewing session, allowing them to purchase snacks, sweets and beverages.
Through this format, ads showing consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands will appear on ESPN, Hulu and Disney+ platforms, taking viewers to a concession stand site (via a QR codes that run in ad breaks during content streams) to check out and have orders delivered on-demand by Gopuff.
Here the marriage of retail and Disney’s audience data is at play, where the media company’s clean room technology allows brands to understand the overlap between Disney viewers and Gopuff consumers to connect with “snack-minded shoppers.”
NBCUniversal’s Peacock also implemented a similar capability that it dubbed “Virtual Concessions” amid a major UX update and other new features launched last year to coincide with the Paris 2024 Olympics.
“We think this is just a fun way to be able to go and buy those last minute items and have them to your house in time for the start of your programming based upon the way we’re rolling it out to the audience,” Josh Feldman, global chief marketing officer for NBCUniversal Advertising & Partnerships, told StreamTV Insider ahead of the rollout in 2024.
In launching the shoppable experience for last-mile delivery Feldman noted NBCU was looking to tap into behavior, as its platforms have a lot of either live or long-form movie viewership. The difference between Virtual Concessions and just going into a delivery service app, according to the exec, is that NBCU planned “to integrate this into the fabric of the programming itself.”
The feature proved successful during the Olympics and NBCU in November announced an expansion of Virtual Concessions.
Disney, meanwhile, has teed up shoppable integrations before, bringing commerce-centric CTV formats that offer interactive elements, one-click send-to-phone prompts and QR codes to engage and “turn attention into action.” Prior partners on new formats include BrightLine and KERV, among others.
“I’m excited to see streaming ads finally being optimized for streaming, rather than just replicating the linear experience,” said Jamie Power, SVP of Addressable Sales at Disney, in a statement. “Advertisers are recognizing the shift. By connecting retail media signals to our content, we’re helping brands create more personal, actionable and measurable experiences – enabling shoppable storytelling and delivering solutions that truly move the needle.”