Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorWhy go to the mall when you can shop via NBC’s “Today” program?NBCUniveral News Group, the parent of NBC News, MSNBC and CNBC, has for several years worked to weave e-commerce into the digital counterpart to its venerable “Today” show as well as other areas, and now it hopes to facilitate more purchases by providing users with product reviews from Consumer Reports.The venerable consumer advocacy organization will contribute product reviews that are normally placed behind a paywall to a new digital destination on two NBCU e-commerce sites, Shop Today and Select.
The “Best Product Reviews” area will provide Consumer Reports findings around different product categories, including cooking, bed and bath, and tools and appliances.
The product reviews are based on research and testing, and NBCU executive hope they will create an easier shopping experience. “We see commerce as this extension of the brand, an opportunity to make peoples’ lives easier,” says Ashley Parrish, senior vice president of commerce for NBCU News Group, in an interview.Many media entities have been experimenting with so-called “shoppable TV,’ which can take viewers into shopping experiences with the use of a smartphone or other digital device.
The technology even came to the Super Bowl this year, with cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase running a controversial commercial featuring only a floating QR code against a dark background.
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