The proliferation of shopping-based television channels has made pulling on shoes and a coat and heading off to the real shops an everyday inconvenience ably avoided with a simple phone call. And, with couch-bound shoppers seemingly finding it ever-more difficult to shuffle the short distance to their computer desks, TiVo is bringing online purchasing to the TV too.
TiVo joins with Amazon.com to enable couch-bound TV purchasing of online goods. Image: jason.mundy/Flickr.
TiVo Inc., which is best known for the creation of digital video recorders, is looking to enhance its advertising solutions and television services business by teaming up with online retail giant Amazon to enable rabid consumers to do what they do best without having to expend any calories in the process.
According to California-based TiVo, the new Product Purchase partnership will work by granting television advertisers with “the unique ability to market products sold through Amazon.com on any broadcast or cable network, any TV show, or via any of TiVo’s extensive interactive advertising features.”
And, more importantly for those shopping whores unable to roll themselves online, successful Amazon purchases will only require physical effort in the form of press a button or two on their well-worn TiVo remote control.
“By teaming with Amazon.com, TiVo enables viewers to purchase products related to their favorite TV shows or that they’ve seen in TV ads without leaving their couch,” agrees Evan Young, TiVo’s director for Broadband Services. “For example, if a guest on the Daily Show or Oprah has a new book, CD, or DVD out, you can purchase it on Amazon.com using your TiVo remote without missing a second of TV, whether the viewer is watching live or recorded.”
“Television advertisers and consumer products companies are no longer limited to the traditional linear shopping channels that require live viewing for product merchandising and fulfillment,” continues Young, “if their product is seen or advertised on any TV show or network, and sold by Amazon.com it can be merchandised to viewers through TiVo.”
Scott Merlino, Amazon.com’s senior manager of business development adds to the corporate enthusiasm by noting that “a record label can merchandise and sell a new artist’s CD on a show where the music is featured, or a publisher can merchandise an author’s book during a talk show when the author appears as a guest -- the marketing possibilities are endless.”
While Product Purchase is what it is -- yet another way to squeeze the consumer cash cow -- it does offer one or two genuinely interesting interactive features.
Universal Swivel Search is one, which enables users to explore and buy products that are linked to their favourite shows, movies, actors, and directors, much as they would when surfing the Web for items. Also, any selected products that capture the eye can be purchased on-the-spot or added to the user’s Amazon.com shopping cart for possible online purchase at a later time. Purchase security will include a PIN associated with the user’s online Amazon account.
Currently only available in North America, the TiVo Product Purchase feature has already begun its rollout through high-profile programming such as The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Colbert Report and The Ellen DeGeneres Show. The feature is expected to expand to include many more shows, while consumers are simply expected to just expand.
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