droppTV Showcases The Power of Shopatainment Through VERO MODA’s #LoveofMother’s Fundraising Campaign

Imagine seeing your favorite artist in a music video sporting a coat that you absolutely must have. You spend hours scouring the internet for that coat, going on a wild goose chase where you inevitably forget what you were looking for in the first place. The founders of droppTV, Gurps Rai and Christopher Kelly, have eliminated that hassle, time, and disappointment by developing technology that allows video viewers to simply and swiftly click and buy, without ever missing the beat drop. On droppTV, shopping is now as easy as watching videos from your couch (or subway ride, or awkward room full of strangers) and clicking. Problem solved; the coat is on its way to your closet.

Using a combination of machine learning, artificial intelligence, and computer vision algorithms, droppTV’s platform recognizes and instantly tags items for sale in videos, allowing consumers to make uninterrupted purchases. This new way of shopping while being entertained is called ‘shopatainment’.

While this concept is already wildly popular in China, droppTV proved that the rest of the world is ready for in-video shopping. A recent example of the impact of shopatainment is VERO MODA’s 2021 Mothers’ Day fundraising campaign, For the Love of Mothers. The women’s clothing retailer launched in 1987 with the goal of creating high quality, trendy women’s clothing at affordable prices and has since grown to be a top brand in Europe and beyond.

The brand’s For the Love of Mothers campaign raised funds for the SOS Children’s Village in Zanzibar, where female leaders of the community are selflessly raising children who have lost their parents, experienced trauma, or are living below the poverty line, in hopes of giving them a better life. It is a celebration of motherhood and the many forms it comes in.

The campaign partnered with artists, influencers, and creators that all worked together to raise awareness and sales for VERO MODA’s Capsule Collection clothing. At the close of the fundraiser, VERO MODA spokesperson confirmed donations totaling more than $52,000 USD, saying “We could not have done this without the incredible help of our partners and we are forever grateful for the outcome!”

The strength of droppTV’s highly-engaged creator platform generated both audience and sales for partner brands of the campaign, undeniably making a major impact on the bottom line of the fundraiser. While there were more than 100 VERO MODA creator partners in total, droppTV’s six creators generated $22,000 — more than 42% of the revenue for the entire campaign —demonstrating the unique power of droppTV’s technology that seamlessly connects customers to retailers and brands through shopatainment.

The talented droppTV creators involved each wrote a unique song about motherhood and produced videos featuring clothing from VERO MODA. The creators leveraged their powerful networks, driving awareness and ultimately delivering the majority of charitable funds donated to SOS Children’s Village.

"We are deeply grateful for the great donation that helps to ensure that the children in the children's town on Zanzibar get a safe and loving upbringing in an SOS family with care, schooling and space for play and development," says Mads Klæstrup Kristensen, director of SOS Children's Villages. The money donated via the Mother's Day campaign will be used for food, clothing, medicine and schooling for the 112 children and 9 young adults who live at the village.

Aside from the impressive donations generated by droppTV, the #LoveofMothers campaign highlights droppTV’s dedication to social responsibility and utilizing the ever-evolving technology industry for positive change. Since its inception, droppTV has been drawn to causes that matter most to its founders and community, to using shopatainment as a force for good. Other examples include supporting Black-owned businesses and raising awareness of the #StopAsianHate movement.

How Shopatainment is Changing the Game

Shopatainment is combining shopping and entertainment, a concept that is no doubt rising in popularity across the globe. In the US, digital ad spend in the video e-commerce space alone totaled $135 billion in 2020, and this trend is just getting started.

The reason why shopatainment is taking off is clear. Long gone are the days of making generic ads for television, hoping to reach the right audience. Does anyone even watch live television anymore? With the decline of traditional advertising and the advancements in technology, it is clear that instant gratification is the world we are living in today. See it, want it, get it.

Shopatainment marketing seeks to appeal to shoppers of all walks of life and is redefining the retail experience. Streaming has grown and shows no signs of stopping, and with more video content, brands are (or should be) cashing in on this.

droppTV, and it's one of a kind technology allows artists, creators, and brands to market to people in real-time through targeted video content and products they’ll want to purchase.

Will this be the future? Many think so. In fact, droppTV’s Kelly, noted that this seamless experience can change shopping habits, and the utilization of droppTV’s marketplace might be “critical” to the future of the industry.

Will Shopatainment Revolutionize the Industry?

There is no doubt that digital shopping is changing the retail landscape. With department stores slowly going by the wayside (remember Barneys?) companies need to keep up with the constantly changing world of commerce.

droppTV hopes to not only provide a unique platform for creators, but to also help brands evolve with the changing demands and desires of the consumer. If companies don’t understand consumer needs, then they’re going to fall behind, and droppTV hopes to help companies understand the needs of consumers in order to leverage new trends and bring brands to the consumer. Now is just the beginning for shopatainment, but this new form of experiential shopping will no doubt prove to be the future, and droppTV aims to be its leader.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or the management of EconoTimes