How NBCUniversal is leveraging commercetools to enable viewers to shop what they see on TV

For over a hundred years, viewers have discovered products on TV, whether in shows or advertisements. However, if they wanted to purchase something, they were on their own to figure out how and where to find it. Not only did networks make it difficult for viewers by taking themselves out of the equation, but they were also losing out on a revenue opportunity. 

NBCUniversal had experimented with shoppable TV in the past and found that aligning all the players involved was complicated. In 2019, after recognizing that consumers were beginning to expect to be able to buy the products from their favorite movies, TV shows and advertising, they ramped up their efforts. As Evan Moore, Senior Vice President of Commerce Partnerships pointed out, the company’s entertainment reaches 95% of US homes every four weeks and, “is naturally and organically inspiring shopping intent with consumers through content and advertising.” 

NBCUniversal hired Evan Moore, Senior Vice President of Commerce Partnerships, in early 2019 to conceptualize and launch original shoppable content. He tapped commercetools and Mirakl to help his team create a seamless shopping experience that is native to the content and advertising that viewers are watching.

commercetools provides cart functionality, while Mirakl connects existing marketplaces that sell the products seen on NBCU. 

NBCUniversal successfully launched its third-party marketplace on top of commercetools and Mirakl. With a portfolio across linear, digital and social, NBCUniversal is also able to sell shoppable products directly through their dedicated personalized websites via a Contentstack CMS. Products are sold through 6 main retail channels. The first project with SyFy went live in just a few months, followed by consistent personalization and roll-out of new brands.