Walmart is linking up with Roku to release a full-length Christmas movie that will let viewers buy products on their TV during specific parts of the story, Business Insider reports. It’s the retailer’s second go at the idea of shoppable TV after previously trying out a social media romcom series. Walmart learned customers seemed likelier to buy something the longer they watched, so a feature was the next move.
This time Walmart will make it easier to buy products on the TV screen by enabling account connections between Walmart and Roku so payment information can be filled out automatically. Walmart received feedback for its last production that it was too much work to buy stuff.
The film is titled Jingle Bell Love and stars Joey McIntyre, a member of the boy band “New Kids on the Block,” who plays a single father visiting his late wife’s hometown and finds love from a local shopowner. It launched on November 18th and is streaming for free on The Roku Channel. By the way, McIntyre released a single for the movie.
