Amazon Live and GroupM Give Shoppable TV a Shot in the Arm for Brands

Shoppable TV shows are getting a boost thanks to Amazon Live’s agreement with GroupM and its clients to develop original, shoppable content for the Amazon Live FAST (free ad-supported TV) channel (launched in April). Viewers can find the FAST channel on Amazon streaming services, Prime Video and Amazon Freevee. The companies made the announcement at the Cannes Lions Festival. Danone is the first brand creating content, selling Silk's new dairy-free, plant-based coffee creamers this fall in videos where creators taste and review the product, while viewers can shop it from their mobile devices using Amazon's Shop the Show tech. Besides co-developing, brands are also partnering with Amazon Live creators. Unilever's Nexxus hair products will be integrated into an upcoming show, called In Bed With Paige DeSorbo, with Bravo Summer House star and Giggly Squad podcaster Paige DeSorbo, launching June 18. "These shows ... offer brands across all industries a powerful way to connect with audiences and drive results," said Julie Haleluk, global head of growth for Amazon Shopping Videos, in a statement. Livestream commerce is a booming market in parts of Asia, especially China, but U.S. brands haven't been able to replicate that success. Zara, for one, is trying after seeing encouraging sales from its livestreaming shows in China. But over one-half (52%) of U.S. adults are either uninterested in or unaware of livestream shopping, per The eMarketer Ecommerce Survey. Why we care: Consumer change is slow, but, time and again, Amazon has proven itself as market-moving. Amazon could be the rising tide lifting shoppable TV into something much more usable, having the obvious benefits of being a closed-loop ecosystem with access to reams of shopper data. Plus, 75% of U.S. adults use mobile devices while watching TV, per Samba TV's U.S. State of Viewership Report, 2023. Previous cases: Earlier this month, Amazon Live produced a travel-focused shoppable stream for Virgin Voyages where viewers could virtually immerse themselves in the cruise experience and shop vacation packages. Home cleaning brand Method also integrated its Simply Nourish haircare products in Amazon Live’s Beauty Haul and Get Ready With Me episodes, where host Brandi Milloy delivers trending beauty tips and viewers can also buy the products. Amazon couldn't share any more specific details about how successful Amazon Live's FAST shopping channel has been. But before Amazon Live got its FAST home, more than 1 billion viewers in the U.S. and India watched Amazon Live streams across desktop, mobile and Fire TV in 2023. To get shopping on the FAST channel, viewers can open the Amazon Shopping application on their phone, type “shop the show” into the search bar and be directed to a shopping carousel highlighting the featured products they see on TV. Up next: For now, shoppable content relies on the popularity and access to creators and celebrities, blending shoppable social feeds and 24/7 streaming TV. Amazon Live touts content from people and brands like Lala Kent, Kandi Burruss, Rachel Clark, Madison LeCroy, Haley Kalil and Tastemade.

Cannes Lions

Amazon Live and GroupM Give Shoppable TV a Shot in the Arm for Brands

Danone is the first brand collab, with creators hawking Silk’s new dairy-free, plant-based coffee creamers this fall

Lucinda Southern

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Lucinda Southern