droppTV is defining the new commercial paradigm of shopatainment
In the past century, we have witnessed the rapid evolution of video. From silent films in theaters, to black and white sitcoms on the televisions of every home in America, to streaming today and the mobility that comes with smartphones and tablets, as technology has progressed video has steadily become a part of our everyday lives.
Today, video content is easily and regularly at consumers’ fingertips, and savvy brands are discovering that implementing video into their marketing strategies is a surefire way to grab their attention, especially when it comes to millennials and Generation Z. However, as video marketing has become a ubiquitous presence in our lives, consumers are also becoming increasingly aware of its tendency to disrupt a viewing experience.
Since the first sitcoms began airing on televisions and commercial breaks alongside them, we as a society have become used to entertainment and advertisements coming hand in hand. Although over fifty years have passed since the first sitcom aired, today we still hold onto the idea that advertisement should interrupt entertainment, albeit through pop-ups and mid-roll ad breaks. Streaming video capabilities have improved dramatically in the past 100 years, so why has its relationship to advertising remained relatively static? What if instead of viewing entertainment and shopping as two separate experiences, they were one in the same?
This is Gurp Rai’s vision, founder and chief executive officer of droppTV. After spending hours online searching for a cool red jacket he saw in superstar Drake’s music video, only to come up empty-handed, Rai realized that there was a huge gap in the market for the ability to shop for content within a video itself.
Instagram had the ability to tag products in photos, but no equivalent platform existed for videos. Upon doing further research he found it was an idea that had been attempted many times before, but nobody had done so through the lens of “shopatainment:” Creating a seamless experience where consuming content and shopping could coexist without one detracting from the other.
At droppTV, Rai and his team are working to bring together streaming, entertainment and commerce under a single umbrella. Using machine learning and artificial intelligence, droppTV is blurring the line between shopping and entertainment by enabling shopping directly within any multimedia streaming content, simplifying the process of purchasing products by enabling users to simply tap and select the item for direct purchase.
With all transactions happening within the filmic flow of the content itself (without overlays, ads, pre-roll or redirects) consumers can enjoy a frictionless marketplace and user journey, creators get a better monetization model, and brands gain granular attribution data.
A music video was what first inspired Rai to create droppTV, it was also a natural choice for the company’s first shopatainment marketplace solution. Music videos exist at an intersection of culture, art, music and fashion, but despite their unique ability to touch on each of these individually lucrative branches they are historically known to be loss leaders. Through droppTV, artists and content creators have the ability to simultaneously monetize their videos and connect with their fans in a new way, playing off the buzz and hype that can accompany both music video releases and streetwear new arrivals for the world’s first shopatainment offering.
Since launching, droppTV has had both up-and-coming artists as well as a roster of known names such as Ashanti, A$AP Mob’s A$AP TyY and more have released content on the platform. dropp’s marketplace has also gained impressive traction with a number of diverse global brands including LG, Vero Moda, COOGI, Zanerobe, Agenda Show and Roland all recently joining the marketplace.
The idea of shopatainment can be also applied to many other industries and sectors beyond music videos. In one of their next major steps in creating a new genre of native ecommerce, droppTV has partnered with the global lifestyle and streetwear fashion trade show brand Agenda Show to bring the shopatainment experience to both its in-person B2B conferences and B2C festivals. Through the partnership, both retail buyers and consumers will gain a more immersive brand experience through an ecommerce platform that enables shopping directly within any multimedia streaming content post production or live.
The partnership will comprehensively bring a shopatainment aspect to Agenda’s live events, such as through expanded virtual and augmented reality capabilities that will provide new onsite experiences. Additionally, these features will expand access to brands that are not able to be physically present at the shows. Integrating the relationships they have already formed through their music video platform, Agenda’s exhibiting brands will also have the opportunity to collaborate with music talent and influencers through droppTV’s platform live at the show.
Through their partnership with Agenda Shows, droppTV will demonstrate the power shopatainment can bring to retail. In today’s world where every market is becoming increasingly saturated, brands and creators can gain a competitive edge by paying attention to the consumer trends that are showing a desire for authenticity and relatability when it comes to deciding how they will spend their money.
With the convenience of the internet and the power of mobile devices, consumers have unlimited access to information whenever they want, and they have learned to use such a position to their advantage. They are no longer interested in being “sold to,” and can sniff out an inauthentic experience from a mile away. The traditional ecommerce website based on utility can’t draw a fan base simply through choosing a pleasing color palette as was once possible –– instead, brands must focus on providing customers with an amazing experience that draws them back when there are a plethora of other options.
Technology, and even the pandemic, has changed the way we shop forever, and with the ability to buy whatever we want wherever we are with the click of a button, the idea of shopping has moved way past a utilitarian act. Studies have shown that video content is increasingly becoming one of the most effective ways for brands to get their message across, and by utilizing machine learning and artificial intelligence Rai has built a platform that rather than attempting to lead or manipulate the shopper into a sale, is simply ready at any time to capture their impulses.
By unifying streaming entertainment, commerce and content, droppTV is defining the new commercial paradigm of shopatainment. Relative to other forms of entertainment the evolution of video has been meteoric, and the job of brands is to recognize sooner rather than later what a powerful tool it can be in creating a shopping experience that is personal, intimate and human in a time when the digitization of communication can create disconnects.
Shopatainment has the ability to revolutionize what it means to be a customer, whether that be for creators, brands, or even business to business as with droppTV’s most recent partnership with Agenda Show. By combining ecommerce and entertainment while simultaneously removing the friction of the user journey, droppTV is taking shopatainment to new heights for those who have the foresight to get on for the ride.
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