By Arjit Sachdeva
The future of shopping is evolving; it’s no longer just search-driven, but rather it has become discovery-driven. TV screens have long been windows to entertainment, but today they are turning into shopping portals. As streaming habits surge, CTV is transforming from a passive medium into a data-rich commerce engine. In India, CTV penetration has risen by 50% among OTT audiences across the six major metros, with Delhi-NCR, Karnataka, and Maharashtra leading adoption. Having overtaken laptops and tablets, CTV has now become the second-most popular device for streaming, after the smartphone. This growth signals a shift in how audiences consume, and now, increasingly, buy through large screens.
Streaming to shopping
TV has been a one-way medium of storytelling for decades. But as consumers move towards streaming, CTV has become interactive, measurable, and commerce-driven. Retail brands now have a unique opportunity to reach audiences who are already in a discovery mindset, one step closer to purchase than when scrolling through social media or search.
Unlike traditional TV advertising, which is costly and broad, CTV allows for precise targeting and real-time performance tracking. Brands can tailor messages based on viewing behaviour, geography, interests, or even purchase history, creating a powerful bridge between awareness and conversion.
CTV commerce surge
The power of CTV is in its versatility. A fashion label can showcase a new collection with ‘shop the look’ options for instant browsing. An electric vehicle brand might display nearby charging stations or enable viewers to schedule test drives directly from the ad. A grocery retailer can sync limited-time offers with dinner hours, while travel companies can embed destination clips that allow bookings in real time. These formats merge storytelling and shopping seamlessly, transforming inspiration into action.
Retailers across sectors are already embracing this shift. According to a recent analysis in the consumer electronics and fashion space, interactive CTV formats, such as shoppable overlays and QR codes, are achieving over 90% completion rates and driving 30-40% higher engagement compared to standard video ads. For example, JBL launched the JBL Live Beam 3 using QR code wrappers for direct shopping, reaching a 95.78% completion rate, while Kia India used QR codes on its Seltos campaign to drive a 10X increase in clicks and 3.6X higher test-drive conversions. This shows that brands are using large-screen storytelling not just to inspire, but to drive measurable sales and brand recall.
As entertainment and e-commerce converge, the living room is bound to become the next retail counter. Brands that jump onto this bandwagon will not just grab audience attention but also purchase intent, turning CTV into a commerce channel offering frictionless ‘watch-and-shop’ experiences.
The author is co-founder, VDO.AI