Dive Brief:
- Shopgate debuted retail applications optimized for the Apple TV streaming media platform at the annual South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi) in Austin, TX.
- Sports apparel retailer Gameday Merchandising partnered for a demonstration of the SaaS technology, which enables shopping through streamed television broadcasts.
- Shopgate’s Apple TV apps effectively introduce product pages into streaming programming, syncing offers and shopping carts across the web and mobile platforms.
Dive Insight:
Interactive shopping through a streaming service is now a reality with the debut of Shopgate apps for Apple TV. Already a force in mobile e-commerce, the SaaS provider's new apps leverage Apple TV's large format interface and feature drag-and-drop widgets. Shopgate's 'persistent cart' model allows consumers to complete their purchase in the Apple TV app or move between devices without starting over.
Shopgate debuted the apps over the weekend at SXSWi with a demo featuring a selection of licensed sports apparel from retail partner Gameday Merchandise. “The shopping experience on the Apple TV is truly a step above what you have on mobile devices and [is a] natural addition to the customer buying journey,” Casey Gannon, Shopgate’s vice president of marketing, said in a release. “Looking for a Steph Curry or Kevin Durant jersey on a 70-inch LCD TV is almost like shopping in person.”
Development costs have so far limited advertiser capabilities on Apple TV, Shopgate noted. The company will include Apple TV apps in its Enterprise plan, which is geared to retailers seeking to provide e-commerce experiences capable of syncing product offers and shopping carts across platforms.
“We are committed to making all e-commerce channels accessible to help retailers reach their customers where they are,” Shopgate CEO Marc Biel said. “With Apple TV, you have a perfect environment for rich media like video and high-resolution images, providing a totally different shopping experience.”
The confluence of television and web has long been predicted, but most efforts to bring interactive shopping to TV screens have been limited to an extension of the desktop browsing environment or dedicated shopping channels. If successful, Shopgate may have finally found a way to monetize airtime on streaming services.
Shopgate is a dominant player in its native Germany and its apps power sales for about 12,000 clients worldwide. Shopgate is gearing up for a major expansion in the U.S., recently promoting COO and CFO Biel to the position of CEO. The company has also announced plans to relocate its U.S. headquarters from Silicon Valley to Austin, and will use $15 million in new venture capital to add 50 staffers there.
