Roku and Walmart have struck an exclusive partnership to enable e-commerce with a “seamless checkout experience” on streaming services on the Roku platform. The companies say the move will take shopping on TV beyond the QR code, allowing viewers to purchase directly at the time of inspiration.
Viewers will be able to press “OK” with their remote on a shoppable ad, and then proceed to check-out. Their payment details will be pre-populated from Roku’s payment platform, Roku Pay, and after tapping “OK” on the Walmart checkout page, the order is placed. Users will then receive a confirmation email from Walmart, including shipping, return, and support information.
Roku’s ad-buying platform for TV streaming – OneView – will exclusively have the ability to activate and measure these shoppable ads. The company believes its ad tech stack – with targeting, optimisation and measurement capabilities – will “bring all the benefits of streaming TV advertising…to the commerce partnership.”
Through Roku Brand Studio, advertisers will be able to design creative and branded content specifically for a TV streaming and shopping environment.
Peter Hamilton, Head of TV Commerce at Roku, said: “We’re making shopping on TV as easy as it is on social. For years, streamers have purchased new Roku devices and signed up for millions of subscriptions with their Roku remote. Streaming commerce brings that same ease and convenience to marketers and shoppers.”
