Shopify and Roku Introduce Shopping to TV Streaming

• Customers can now purchase products from Shopify stores directly through Roku
• A new advertising channel for Shopify merchants

In a groundbreaking move, Roku, a leading TV streaming platform in the US, has partnered with Shopify, one of the best website builders for online stores, to allow viewers to shop from Shopify stores through the TV.

But what does this mean exactly? Shopify merchants can place an ad on Roku through Roku Action Ads. When spotted in the wild, viewers will have the option to purchase the product via the remote without ever leaving the streaming service.

Mani Fazeli, Director of Product, Checkout at Shopify, said this of the development:

“Shopify is on a mission to make commerce better for everyone, and by partnering with Roku to make Shopify Checkout available through new channels, we are making it easier for more brands to drive deeper engagement with shoppers and reach new audiences.”

The checkout process will be through Roku’s payment platform, Roku Pay, but the Shopify merchant will deliver confirmation of the order.

Shopping When Streaming

This is a great new advertising opportunity for Shopify merchants to connect with potential consumers via a unique channel. The shopping experience also streamlines the sales funnel and customer lifecycle, guiding users to purchase an item after presenting them with the brand.

Peter Hamilton, Senior Director of Ad Innovation at Roku, had this to say on the user journey:

“Bringing a Shopify purchase experience to television for merchants is an industry first… Roku democratizes access to TV advertising, and now, we’re collapsing the funnel for Shopify’s merchants. This is a great example of Roku’s unique platform position to make advertisers unmissable across the streamer’s journey, from power on to purchase complete.”

Another perk to the partnership is that Roku shares insights and customer data with Shopify merchants that advertise on the platform.

If you’re a Shopify merchant and start advertising your products on Roku, we’d love to hear from you in the comments! What do you think? And for more information on Shopify, you can read all about how well it performed in our recent research in our full Shopify review.