CTV Gets a Cart: Why Shoppable TV Is the Future of Performance Advertising

When Connected TV (CTV) first made its way into the media mix, it wore a branding hat—flashy, top-of-funnel, great for awareness. But now? CTV is eyeing a new role: the closer. With innovations like QR codes, personalized messaging, and residence-level measurement, shoppable CTV is poised to turn viewers into verified buyers—and redefine what we mean by performance media.

From Passive Viewing to Active Shopping

As Amanda Sheplee, Viant’s VP of Agency Partnerships, shared in a recent AdTech Decoded episode, “Shoppable is really exciting right now because it’s helping to move CTV from just a branding channel down to lower-funnel metrics.”

And that’s the shift advertisers have been waiting for. Imagine a world where your latest favorite streaming binge includes a mid-roll ad that invites you to scan a QR code and buy the featured product—without ever leaving the couch (or your blanket burrito). That’s not just fun, that’s frictionless conversion.

The Dollar Shift Is Real

This isn’t just about bells, whistles, or novelty QR codes. It’s about budget reallocation. As Amanda notes, we’re not only witnessing the shift from linear TV to CTV—we’re also seeing spend shift into CTV from traditional lower-funnel digital channels like search and social. Why?

Because CTV is finally speaking the language of the CFO: business outcomes. That means sales, not just impressions. ROAS, not just reach. It’s giving advertisers what they’ve long demanded—proof that storytelling on the biggest screen in the house is also driving conversions, both online and off.

Measurement That Actually Measures Up

So how is this all possible? It comes down to measurement that’s smart enough to match the way households behave. CTV is a shared experience—multiple people, one screen, one ad exposure. That makes device-level tracking feel… quaint.

Instead, Viant (and a few savvy others) is leaning into residence-level measurement. That means tying exposure on the TV screen to actual purchases—whether someone checks out online later that night or walks into a store two days later. We’re talking deterministic attribution, not guesses based on cookies.

It’s a performance play. It’s an outcomes era. And it’s all made possible by identity-based platforms like Viant’s DSP.

What This Means for Advertisers

If you’re in digital advertising and you’re not already exploring shoppable CTV, now’s the time to get curious. This isn’t about adding another channel just because it’s shiny. This is about bringing performance accountability to premium inventory.

Here’s what to keep in mind:

• Shoppable formats aren’t niche—they’re the next norm.
  
• CTV can now claim credit for conversions, not just vibes.
  
• Residence-level measurement is the secret sauce.
  

And let’s be honest: if CTV can deliver Super Bowl-level creative and cart checkouts, what’s not to love?