Amazon Prime Video Lets Viewers Shop What Characters Wear

Amazon launched a new feature for Prime Video called Shop the Scene on Thursday, enabling viewers to purchase items worn by actors or similar products directly through the Amazon Shopping app. This integration aims to bridge the gap between on-screen content and e-commerce, allowing for immediate purchases with minimal interruption to the viewing experience. The feature utilizes artificial intelligence to identify and suggest products, ranging from clothing to accessories, that appear in specific scenes. Users can access this functionality within the Amazon Shopping app, and while the identified items may not always be exact matches, the service provides the closest available alternatives from Amazon's vast catalog. This initiative represents Amazon's ongoing efforts to enhance the profitability of its streaming service by leveraging its core e-commerce business.

The Shop the Scene feature is currently available on over 600 Prime Video titles for users in the United States. Complementing this, Amazon is also expanding its broader Shop the Show experience, which was initially introduced last year. This expanded offering will now cover more than 8,000 titles, a significant increase from the previous 1,300 titles. The Shop the Show feature allows users to browse and purchase merchandise related to entire shows, such as collectibles or branded items. Michelle Rothman, vice president of Prime Video shopping, stated in the announcement that the company is making it easier than ever for Prime Video customers to shop what they see on screen. Amazon did not immediately respond to Fortune's request for further comment.

Further enhancing the shopping integration, Prime Video is introducing a new "shop" tab within its X-Ray feature. X-Ray typically allows viewers to identify actors, music, and trivia related to a show in real-time. With the addition of the shop tab, users can now open X-Ray using their remote control and browse products associated with the content they are watching. Transactions can then be completed on their mobile phones. This move by Amazon comes as other streaming companies like Netflix, Disney, and Peacock have been exploring various strategies to increase profitability. These strategies have included raising subscription prices, enforcing stricter rules on account sharing, implementing tiered subscription models, and introducing ad-supported streaming options. Amazon's Shop the Scene and expanded Shop the Show features are a direct extension of its e-commerce dominance into the realm of digital entertainment, creating a more seamless path from content consumption to product purchase.