NBCUniversal’s scannable ShoppableTV takes viewers directly to e-commerce sites

NBCUniversal is launching a new feature it hopes will increase conversion rates for advertisers. Called ShoppableTV, it displays QR codes during specific moments in TV shows and take viewers directly to e-commerce sites once scanned. The company says this is the first time QR codes have been used on national TV to drive direct sales.

During a test run on TODAY, the media conglomerate claims ShoppableTV generated thousands of scans and six figures in sales “within minutes.” NBCUniversal says networks that plan to start using ShoppableTV soon include NBC, NBC Sports, Telemundo, Bravo, E!, CNBC Prime and USA Network.

ShoppableTV is the latest initiative by NBCUniversal to remove points of friction that lower advertising conversion rates. Other ones include a partnership with Sky (which, like NBCUniversal, is owned by Comcast) to develop targeted advertising for TV and a machine learning tool named the Context Intelligence Platform that picks the best moments in a show to place specific commercials by scanning scripts, closed captions and visual descriptions.

In a press statement, NBCUniversal’s head of marketing Josh Feldman said “By pairing brands with our premium content, owning every stage of the purchase funnel and removing the barriers consumers traditionally encounter between seeing a product and making a purchase, we’re giving marketers a direct sales channel to millions of viewers across the country.”