Watch, Shop and Buy on Mobile

By Nicole Giannopoulos
It’s hard enough for retailers to stay up-to-date with mobility in stores and online, but how does a broadcast and cable home shopping network compete? Since 1991 ShopNBC has been known for its trendy, on-the-go customers, so entering the mobile space was essential to its business model as mobile and multi-channel commerce are increasingly important to the digital reader.

The retailer wanted to continue to provide its customers with the product, information, entertainment and content that they desire whenever and wherever they are.

“It’s 1999 all over again in Internet world, it’s the tablet and mobile revolution,” said Tom Kraus, vice president of online commerce and content for ShopNBC. “As a company continues to grow, it must think about how it interacts and optimizes with customers.”

Shopping on the Move
ShopNBC identified several must-have items. It was in need of a solution that would not only provide a turnkey solution that worked with the existing infrastructure, but also would ensure the customer journey is seamless, straightforward and as intuitive as possible, including simplified browsing and payment.  

According to Kraus, the retailer decided to take it a step further. “We thought,
 ‘What if we could get live-stream onto mobile as a unique functionality and great accomplishment?’”

Going…Going…Live!
ShopNBC first launched with Usablenet in 2009 and chose to upgrade to its HTML5 with live streaming and broadcasting in late 2011. The retailer deployed HTML5 as a foundational move to position the site for the next generation of innovation. The deployment took three months of fast-paced adoption and now extends seamlessly through applications. Features of the rollout include “Watch Us Live” ShopNBC content, quick-buy to expedite checkout and automated delivery of specific items on a preset schedule.

To track its progress, the retailer monitors Web metrics including revenue, page views, clicks, performance at handset level, page load times and issues customers experience, figuring the “where” and “why” of abandonment. These metrics help to enhance ShopNBC’s offering while remaining consumer-focused.

Since the HTML5 launch, ShopNBC has exceeded expectations. Revenue, customer adoption and acceptance of mobile platforms all grew considerably. In the first month the retailer met the revenue numbers that were expected for the first quarter, and the results have continued to double and triple since. There has also been a 7% increase in page views and a 77% increase in mobile traffic.

“We’ve seen substantial growth in our mobile site’s overall traffic as well as an increase in the number of page views per visit,” said Kraus. “Our customers have been quick to adopt live streaming of our broadcast channel as yet another way for them to engage with ShopNBC whenever and wherever they choose.”