Report: TV commerce has new player

Apple TV reportedly has a formidable new rival in the emerging channel of TV commerce.



According to GeekWire, Amazon is providing direct purchase capabilities through its Fire TV devices, without fanfare. A pilot has been underway for about two weeks, with sources indicating performance so far has exceeded expectations.



The pilot allows Fire TV and Fire TV stick users to directly browse and purchase items including Hershey’s candy, FitBit personal fitness devices, and Mattel toys from banner ads on the TV screen. Consumers execute purchases by clicking the remote control.



Amazon is also said to be preparing to launch its own home shopping channel in 2016. The channel would operate like QVC or HSN, and let consumers make purchases directly from the screen. Furthermore, Amazon is planning to let consumers make direct purchases from its X-Ray feature, which displays details about programs being displayed on the screen.



QVC itself just announced it will launch an e-commerce app for Apple TV. It now seems that TV commerce’s growth into a mainstream consumer channel is a matter of if, not when.