NBCUniversal has launched an instant checkout service for its shoppable content that lets consumers click and buy products they see across the media company’s broadcast and online properties, giving brands an opportunity to sell during a time when most stores have been shut down.
A key element is the ability to keep shoppers within the NBC ecosystem, allowing them to make purchases directly from within NBCUniversal Checkout without leaving the media they’re consuming, instead of redirecting them to individual brand sites.
Josh Feldman, EVP and Head of Marketing and Advertising Creative for NBCUniversal, said the launch of NBCUniversal Checkout was moved up due to the unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the current economic climate, technology and cart fees are being temporarily waived.
“It was always the next milestone in our content and commerce journey,” Feldman said. “But, as the impacts of the global crisis we now face continue to unfold, we decided to accelerate our timeline and bring it to market now. Retailers of all sizes are under strain as they’ve closed their doors to stop the spread.”
The platform’s shopping cart turns any piece of content – text, video, linear TV or social media, in English or Spanish – into an extension of a brand’s storefront, creating a native shopping experience. It’s also the commerce engine of NBCUniversal’s new One Platform advertising service.
Feldman said there are thousands of hours of content available for shoppable ads across NBCUniversal properties. “It can work for work for any brand, even if they aren’t a traditional national TV advertiser,” he said. “We have the flexibility to integrate with a retailer’s ecommerce platform, and our retail partners handle fulfillment, giving them the opportunity to develop new customer relationships.”
He said the company’s first foray into shoppable content was in 2018 with Shop with Golf, expanding since then to include campaigns on programs such as The Today Show, the French Open, The Voice, and Very Cavallari. Retail and brand partners include Walmart, Lacoste, Roli and Zwift.
“Across all of these partnerships we’ve seen a significant impact for brands,” Feldman said. “Shoppable TV can reach millions of people in minutes, drive double-digit growth on social media, and has a conversion rate nearly 30% higher than the ecommerce industry average.”
NBCUniversal checkout builds on the company’s Shoppable Branded Content, Shoppable Editorial Content and Shoppable TV offerings rolled out in 2019. Viewers can point their device camera to an onscreen product code that bring the item up on their screen for purchase.