Consumers will be able to find and purchase products sold on Amazon.com directly from their television without missing a second of programming
TiVo Inc. (NASDAQ: TIVO) , the creator of and a leader in advertising solutions and television services for digital video recorders (DVRs), today announced they have teamed up with Amazon to provide consumers with the ability to purchase physical products from Amazon.com on their TV sets, using their TiVo remote control. With this new Product Purchase feature, television advertisers will have 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.
“Product Purchase adds a whole new dimension to the TV viewing experience,” said Evan Young, Director of Broadband Services for TiVo Inc. “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. 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. The viewer with an impulse can buy right away and no longer needs to remember to do so the next time they are at their PC. 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 — 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.”
Consumers will also be able to use TiVo’s Universal Swivel Search to easily explore and buy products associated with their favorite shows, movies, actors, and directors, directly from the television set using their TiVo remote. Upon selecting a product users will have the option to complete the purchase immediately or add it to their Amazon.com shopping cart for later checkout. Shipping and tax, if applicable, will be automatically calculated and presented to the user before final confirmation, and purchases will be secured with a PIN associated with the user’s Amazon.com account. In addition, television advertisers will be able to merchandise specific products through TiVo advertising features such as Interactive Tags, Gold Star Sponsorships, and Program Placement.
Scott Merlino, senior manager of business development at Amazon.com, said, “Teaming up with TiVo enables TV advertisers to break free of traditional shopping channel limitations and reach a specific, targeted audience regardless of which network or show they are watching. Now, 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. Teaming up with TiVo is a great way to engage consumers during a TV program with a direct connection to the product being sold.”
TiVo’s interactive advertising solutions allow advertisers to reach consumers in a time-shifted world and offer the option of taking a closer look at the products that interest them. TiVo’s Program Placement feature enables advertisers to target viewers with related products via specific shows and genres. Interactive Tags enhance traditional commercials and make them actionable, allowing consumers to get additional information or take advantage of unique offers while automatically pausing their program.
All purchases made from Amazon.com using TiVo’s Product Purchase feature come with Amazon.com’s trusted reputation for superior customer service and are delivered directly to the consumer’s preset delivery address.
Starting today, TiVo will launch the new service to consumers by merchandising products related to several high profile shows, including but not limited to The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Colbert Report, and Burn Notice. Broadband-connected Series2™ Series3™ and TiVo HD DVRs will be able to take advantage of this new feature.
