Roku is partnering with Shopify to give users the ability to purchase products from Shopify merchants through their TVs, the hardware company announced Tuesday.
Viewers will be able to interact with a Roku Action Ad for a Shopify merchant by using their TV remote. (For context, Roku Action Ads are advertisements that either send users a text, prompt them to scan a QR code or make a purchase directly on the screen). Users can buy the product with Roku Pay, Roku’s payments platform. The merchant will send an email confirmation of the order once the transaction has been processed.
The Shopify integration aims to help users make purchases without interrupting the streaming experience. The ads also allow Shopify advertisers to gain more customer data and insight into purchasing trends.
“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.”
Three brands — True Classic, the men’s apparel brand; wellness company Olly and the game-based connected rower Ergatta — have signed on as initial partners. Roku is currently alpha testing the shoppable ads with these partners, a company spokesperson told TechCrunch.
In 2021, Roku launched a marketing app for Shopify merchants, allowing them to build, purchase and measure TV streaming ad campaigns. At the time, the company said it was the first TV streaming app available in the Shopify App Store.
The announcement comes two months after Roku revealed new ad products at the 2023 IAB NewFronts presentation, including AI capability searches that match a brand’s message and place their ads in real time.
Separately, Roku struck its first live sports deal last month, becoming the U.S. media partner for Formula E, the motorsport championship series for electric racing cars.