The final months of the year offer plenty of opportunity for marketers looking to engage with consumers and drive sales.

Back-to-school campaigns have already begun and sales are expected to hit $81 billion in the US this year. When asked about their back-to-school shopping habits, 50% of US parents report also planning to shop for themselves at the same time. This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to H2 spending. Black Friday and holiday shopping campaigns will kick off soon as well, with total retail sales for the upcoming holiday season projected to reach $1.372 trillion.

When it comes to shopping, consumers are increasingly moving to digital channels for purchase and discovery. A 2024 LG Ad Solutions survey of CTV users revealed 81% are influenced by TV ads and 47% had made a purchase after seeing a TV ad in the past three months. As the availability of data for personalized, targeted TV advertising grows, CTV is set to become a major platform for retailers. So, it’s no surprise that shoppable ads are emerging as a key format.

We recently sat down with Claude Spasevski, SVP of Retail Media and Data here at Equativ, to talk about shoppable TV ads and why retailers should consider it as part of their strategy.

Q. How do shoppable ads gain the attention of the consumer?

Shoppable TV ads gain consumer attention by integrating commerce experiences directly into the content consumers are already engaged with. This allows for a seamless shopping experience that captures consumer interest at the point of inspiration, without disrupting their viewing experience. Consumers can then make purchases directly from the ads, reducing friction between inspiration and purchase.

Q. What benefits will retailers see with shoppable ads?

First, retailers will see seamless integration. Shoppable ads provide a direct and convenient shopping experience, that reduces the steps between awareness and purchase.

Second, these ads enable retailers to collect valuable first-party data, which is increasingly critical for accuracy.

Third, they offer enhanced measurement. Retailers can track detailed metrics such as ROAS, sales uplift, and video completion rates to measure campaign success.

Q. Speaking of metrics, how can performance be measured with shoppable ads?

Performance can be measured through several key metrics:

  • Sales and conversion rates: tracking direct sales generated from the ads
  • CTR: measuring engagement by the number of viewers that click on the shoppable elements
  • Brand awareness: assessing the impact on brand visibility and recall through pre-and post-campaign surveys
  • ROAS: calculating the return on ad spend – both directly and incrementally

Q. Not every consumer has a Smart TV. Is this an effective way for retailers to reach an audience?

It’s true that the effectiveness of shoppable TV ads can be limited by Smart TV penetration rates. However, the rate of connected TV and streaming device adoption continues to increase.

For retailers, the key is to balance the potential reach with the depth of engagement that shoppable TV ads can offer.

Q. What do you think the future holds for shoppable ads?

As media convergence accelerates, TV is likely to become a central hub for shoppable content. The seamless integration of shopping into entertainment will continue to fuel this trend. That’s why, here at Equativ, we are expanding our CTV and commerce media efforts to provide these capabilities to our customers, enabling cross-channel experiences that bridge CTV and commerce media.

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