Shopping direct from an interactive smart TV screen is about to boom in the UK, with 25% of people doing it by the end of 2014 and generating sales of nearly £750 million (€886.7 million).
The prediction, made by retail experts Conlumino, is contained in a report by The Future Laboratory, commissioned by Samsung and entitled Samsung TV Futures 2012.
It adds that shopping opportunities will be built into almost any TV content and quotes Derren Lawford, head of programming scheduling, BBC Global iPlayer, as saying that “music channels will finally come alive to the possibilities of eCommerce.”
Samsung TV Futures 2012 says that sport now tops the list for new, interactive TV habits, with one in 10 in the UK and 13% in Ireland saying sports programmes are the ones they are most likely to interact with using smart TV technology.
It also quotes BARB when saying that for most TV in the UK, 10% of viewing is now time-shifted, using catch-up TV services on smart TVs, for instance.
A YouGov poll has meanwhile found that over half (55%) of people in the UK have already brought the internet onto their TV, through smart TV or another device.
Looking to the next 10 years, people in the UK believe that TV will become more interactive, personalized, niche and intuitive.
Indeed, 15% of the UK is already imagining their future, gesture-controlled TV set.
Samsung TV Futures 2012 used a sample of 2,000 adults in the UK and 1,000 in Ireland, with fieldwork being undertaken between October 19 and November 1, 2012.
Its findings were discussed at a Samsung presentation in London that also showcased the company’s premium design TV line-up from the F8000 series.
