• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, July 11, 2023

Roku has partnered with Shopify to allow Roku streaming device users to purchase products from Shopify merchants directly from their TV screens, via Roku Action Ads. 

This is the first commerce integration for independent Shopify merchants on TV streaming, and an extension of the two companies’ existing commerce relationship. 

In addition to point-of-sale access to Roku’s audience, the on-screen purchase capability provides Shopify advertisers with more customer data and insights into purchasing trends, according to Roku. 

Men’s apparel brand True Classic, the game-based connected rower Ergatta, and wellness brand Olly have signed on as initial users of the new capability in Roku Action Ads, which provide a “down funnel” action, such as sending users a text, providing a scannable QR code, or making a purchase. 

When a Shopify merchant ad appears, viewers can press “OK” on their Roku remotes to learn more about the product, purchase it by using an on-screen function, use Roku Pay to check out, and receive an order confirmation by email from the merchant. They can then resume watching their streamed programming. 

The integration provides “a frictionless path to purchase for customers while allowing us to measure the impact of this strategy with the end-to-end Shopify integration,” said Paige Decker, vice president, growth at True Classic, in the announcement. “Merging performance-based tactics with the scale of TV is a win-win.”