NBCUniversal ramps up shoppable content with new platform, PayPal deal

Dive Brief:

NBCUniversal launched One Platform Commerce to unify a growing array of commerce initiatives like ShoppableTV, NBCUniversal Checkout and Shop Telemundo, the company said in details shared with sister publication Marketing Dive.
PayPal is a new partner of One Platform Commerce, with the payments platform enabling viewers to complete their transactions, including via a number of shoppable gift guides soon to be launched online on Bravo, E!, NBC Sports, Syfy Wire, Telemundo and Today, among other properties.
In a reflection of how the e-commerce strategy also boosts the broadcaster's relationships with marketers, NBCU revealed it is now working with more than 60 retail partners, including Koio, Our Place, Paravel and Pour les Femmes as part of a new Retail Partner Network that it expects to continue to grow. Retail partner brands will sit alongside NBCU brands on the new platform.

Dive Insight:

NBCUniversal is increasing its bet on e-commerce as a revenue source at time when more consumers are shopping online and a growing array of brands are looking for ways to engage them without investing in TV ads. The e-commerce push also comes as NBCU reports declining overall revenue as theme park and movie studio sales dropped during the pandemic's early days.

The launch of One Platform Commerce expands on NBCU's forays into shoppable content and single-platform media buying launched earlier this year, including last month's launch of Shop Telemundo interactive shopping venture to all of the company's linear, digital, social, branded, and editorial content in English and Spanish.

The addition of PayPal aims to give consumers increased faith in NBCU's burgeoning forays into cross-platform shoppable content. Specifically, the new capabilities are meant to build consumer confidence in the company’s NBCUniversal Checkout, which enables small and large companies to connect content with their e-commerce operations. In July, Syfy ran the first show to use NBCUniversal Checkout with a program that let viewers use their phone's camera to capture a code displayed on a TV screen to shop a curated collection of items, including graphic novels and sunglasses.

Like Walmart's recent team-up with Verizon Media, the focus on e-commerce acknowledges the effects the COVID-19 pandemic will have on holiday shopping and marketing.

The One Platform Commerce network is the "fuel" powering NBCUniversal Checkout, Josh Feldman, NBCU's head of marketing and advertising creative, said in a blog post. It allows brands, including those that don't typically advertise on TV, access to NBCUniversal's depth and scale, as well as access to the company's creative talents.

"As One Platform Commerce expands, we'll continue to open up new avenues for partnership with talent brands — giving fans new ways to connect with the icons and influencers they love," Feldman said.

The increased focus on e-commerce also reflects positive early results from NBCU's efforts to date, according to data spotlighted in the blog post. This includes NBCU's shoppable content delivering a 30% higher conversion rate than the industry standard and interaction rates of between 20% and 30% for digital shoppable videos. More broadcasters could make bigger commitments to e-commerce going forward if the changes to consumers' shopping behaviors endure even after the pandemic wanes.