Show-shopper

US – New shopping app Ever enables users to instantly purchase items from their favourite tv shows in real time.

• The app works with a Chrome extension that identifies which show the user is watching
• Users take a screenshot of the show and the app locates where the on-screen items can be purchased

Users simply tap a button when they spot an item of interest to take a screenshot of the show they are watching. The app then analyses the frame to identify items that can be purchased and provides links to where they are available to buy. The seamless shopping experience presents a novel way for content creators to monetise their content without forcing consumers to pay for it or put up with advertising.

Ever can only be used with video-streaming service Roku and a limited number of YouTube channels, and does not work with live tv, although additional content partners are expected to be announced in the near future. Despite this, the service offers an insight into the potential future of online shopping.

‘Scores of attempts have been made by start-ups and big companies to make videos discoverable and purchasable,’ Chander Chawla, CEO of Ever, said in a statement. ‘Ever works in real time. It empowers the viewer to simply press a button to discover people, places, fashion or other items in any frame of a video without interruption.’