• by Wayne Friedman , April 23, 2020

As concerns grow over brick-and-mortar retail due to COVID-19, NBCUniversal says it is expanding its ecommerce efforts for advertisers and brands connected with content for its media platforms.

NBCUniversal Checkout will give businesses — local or national, traditional, new or existing and direct-to-consumer — the ability to set up ecommerce business with a single integration.

If TV viewers or media users see a product in or around its content — whether on digital, linear, or social — they will be able to click and buy it. The new unit will help retailers create and distribute new marketing assets.

For marketers, NBCUniversal Checkout will focus on a number of areas, including advertisements or branded content on NBCU platforms where consumers can instantly buy products/services with a digital click.

NBC also says it will focus on editorial content connections for marketers -- such as TV segments about seasonal buying on NBC’s “Today,” for example, or articles on Bravo, where users can buy products/services.

NBCU’s previously announced effort in October -- ShoppableTV, where viewers scan an NBCU code on their TV screens -- will be part of NBCUniversal Checkout.  

NBCU will be waiving technology and cart fees on ShoppableTV and digital branded content experiences from now until the end of year.

NBCU says it will support these efforts with "social amplification," extending the reach of the NBCUniversal Checkout campaign with social media strategies.

NBCU says this new ramped-up effort comes as “retailers of every size are feeling strained after closing stores...  and are looking for creative solutions to maintain relationships with their customers.”