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BSkyB-backed UK startup Zeebox has rolled out a new feature for its second-screen app that will let users click to buy products that are advertised on TV from their tablet or smartphone.
Viewers using the Zeebox iOS app will now see a click-to-buy button that corresponds with on-air TV ads that will take them to a trusted retailer like Amazon or Tesco, or to the brand’s website for more information.
Zeebox claims the service will increase the value of TV advertising for brands and provide them with measurable performance tracking, and says the roll-out is “just the beginning” of its targetable second-screen ad plans.
“Our consumer research told us that people want an easy way to buy things they see on TV,” said Zeebox CEO Ernesto Schmitt.
Zeebox launched in October as a service that syncs what a user is watching on TV and offers real-time information – from sites such as Wikipedia – as well as audience ratings, chat and Twitter options. The firm is lead by Schmitt and former iPlayer boss Anthony Rose, who is chief technology officer.
Sky bought a 10% stake in the firm last month in a deal that made it the exclusive advertising sales agent for Zeebox’s synchronised ad inventory. Sky plans to launch a Zeebox-powered companion app for its customers in the first half of the year.
