Amazon has announced that they are expanding their advertisement offering with the introduction of new interactive formats on Prime Video. The goal is to ensure that shopping directly from the streaming platform is easier than ever before.
Designed to streamline browsing and shopping during Prime Video ad breaks, shoppable carousel ads let viewers explore and add multiple related products to their carts directly using most remotes. These aren't the only interactive options, though. Prime Video will also feature interactive pause ads and brand trivia ads across TV shows, movies, and even live sports. When viewers hit pause, a translucent ad featuring brand messaging and imagery appears, along with clear ‘Add to Cart’ and ‘Learn More’ buttons. Customers can then seamlessly add products to their carts or get more information using their remotes. This step allows Amazon to build on its initial offering of standard pre-roll and mid-roll ads offered in January. This new approach to Prime ads will ensure engagement is high and keep the platform feeling fresh.
Alan Moss, Vice President for Amazon Ads, said, ‘We are developing innovative experiences to help brands better engage with customers as we work to transform streaming advertising through our differentiated combination of reach, first-party signals, and ad tech.’
From an advertiser perspective, the new shoppable format will allow brands to increase engagement, continue to perfect their targeting capabilities and, most importantly, reduce barriers to entry when shopping for products. This frictionless shopping experience will eliminate the need to switch devices or remember product names later, leading to more impulse purchases.
Further brand opportunities will occur for advertisers who can tailor their strategy to incorporate this new format. The format will focus on visual appeal, especially due to the ad most likely being watched on the big screen; this makes it more important than ever to use high-quality engaging images. The new format will also allow for multiple products to be displayed, which will be perfect for brands that have a range they want to share rather than one standalone product. Ultimately, this unique opportunity for advertisers creates a more engaging, measurable, and appealing experience for viewers directly on the platform.
Despite being new for Prime, this ad format aligns with similar offerings from traditional broadcasters; however, Amazon occupies a unique position within the market as both a content provider and an e-commerce platform. This link creates the potential for a more streamlined shopping experience because viewers will access their Amazon accounts directly from within the entertainment. This unique feature is not offered with existing ad formats from other broadcasters.
Looking to the future, competitors in the SVOD space are likely to respond with new shoppable ad iterations of their own, leading to greater variation in the advertisement space.
