Tastemade is the latest streamer to inject shoppability into programming via a second screen with help from retail media tech company Shopsense AI.
In its latest partnership, Shopsense is enabling US viewers to shop items of select Tastemade lifestyle streaming content, starting last week with its new series Kitchen Glow Up. Every episode will be shoppable with on-screen prompts that direct viewers to a storefront via their mobile phone where they can browse and purchase products inspired by the show, hosted by professional cook and designer Ellen Marie Bennett. The Shopsense-powered shop will feature kitchen, pantry and cooking items, including aprons from Bennett’s Hedley & Bennett brand, as well as products from large retailers like Target, according to Evan Bregman, GM of Tastemade. New items will be added to the storefront each week.
The Shopsense-powered storefront, accessible via mobile phone, is Tastemade or series-themed and links to third parties where the checkout process happens. Bergman said the streamer will have various calls to action for the shoppable experiences across platforms, including through its social and newsletter channels, alongside Tastemade’s linear streaming feed.
While the experience through Shopsense is launching with Kitchen Glow Up, Bregman told StreamTV Insider “this is only the first” for the streamer, which counts free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel distribution across major platforms.
“The store will remain live afterward, and we have many plans for it in the coming months” he commented, noting Tastemade has plans to launch storefronts for additional series and other promotional periods.
Shopsense uses patent-pending technology to bring together content and commerce, utilizing AI to surface both exact matches and similar products that are on-screen, while capitalizing on consumer behavior where viewers often have a mobile device like smartphone in hand as they watch TV programming.
“Shopping plays a vital role in transforming our viewers into doers, and brings us closer to our audience in ways that fill their lives with great taste,” Bregman said in a statement. “We’re looking forward to seeing how audiences and brands can interact on this unique platform.”
Speaking last October at the CIMM Summit, Bregman shared a stat, noting that 80% of Tastemade viewers actually go out and make something – be it a recipe or home craft project – inspired by what they watched. Additionally, 75% of Tastemade’s social audience agree they’re likely to purchase a Tastemade-recommended product.
"Tastemade understands that younger audiences are looking for a more engaging television experience,” said Marissa Ramirez, SVP, Business Development, Shopsense AI. “We’re excited to work with Tastemade as they blaze a new trail in modern media and move shoppable content forward in a way that closes the gap between the point of inspiration and the moment of transaction.”
While not directly purchasing content on the TV screen like some shoppable pilots, such as with Roku and Walmart, Shopsense has been gaining traction for its second-screen enabled shoppable efforts, powering multiple experiences for partners including on linear.
That includes the launch of its retail media platform in April with Paramount Global, which featured a “Shop the Screen” experience for the CMT Music Awards, airing on CBS and Paramount+. Later in April, Shopsense turned up storefronts for the CBS Sports Golazo Network for team, player and host-inspired merchandise, as well as shoppable episodes for CBS’s daytime talk show The Talk with fashion collections inspired by hosts.
Shopsense also partnered with Spanish-language media company TelevisaUnivision to create four curated collections for the Latin American Music Awards, which aired live on Univision, UNIMÁS, Galavision and streamer ViX. During TelevisaUnivison’s Upfront last month, the company said it will continue to roll out new Shopsense-powered storefronts alongside additional IP this year.
Other tech companies utilizing AI, like KERV Interactive, have been working to help power shoppable TV experiences for streamers, including NBCUniversal’s Peacock, CTV ads on music video network Vevo and interactive formats for Vizio’s WatchFree+. Disney earlier this year also disclosed technology for second-screen shoppable streaming ads.