Movistar+ unveils an app platform for making purchases via TV

Movistar+ has launched a new TV-commerce application platform to enable its users to make all kinds of purchases via their televisions in the comfort of their homes.

The new Living Apps, as the Movistar+ TV applications are called, are grouped together in the “Compras” section and accessible via the “Apps” tab of the Movistar+ home menu.

By means of this new channel, any company, regardless of its size, will be able to have its own online store and offer Movistar+ users an innovative, simple and secure shopping experience via their televisions. The simplicity lies in the fact that the users won’t have to download or install any kind of software.

The user experience will also benefit from Movistar’s device ecosystem in the home. Purchases can be made via a remote control or by voice if the user has a Movistar+ Voice Command or Movistar Home device integrated into Aura, Telefónica’s virtual assistant with artificial intelligence.

The companies will have their own payment gateway and the purchases will be made in a fully secure manner thanks to an innovative solution developed in partnership with CaixaBank, the project’s financial partner. This system incorporates advanced technology for the management of the payments which, among other services, ensures the traceability of the operations and adapts each process to the needs of the marketplace. Similarly, the user experience is simple and convenient. To complete a purchase, users first have to enter their Movistar+ purchase PIN number into the television. They will then receive a notification via the Mi Movistar mobile app, on which they can select the payment method and check the purchase data in order to complete the transaction.

“Television has become the centre of the digital home. In addition to the usual contents, it’s now a window for enjoying all the experiences that users are demanding and enabling companies to create an innovative channel to relate to their customers”, declared Óscar Solá, the Living Apps manager in the Digital Home area of Telefónica’s global digital consumption unit. “They benefit not only from the excellent connectivity provided by Telefónica but also from additional technological capabilities such as artificial intelligence and multiple devices that permit a unique user experience”.

According to the Omdia report titled 2021 Trends to Watch: Smart Home, the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic is having on our habits has encouraged a large number of service vendors and providers in the smart home market to accelerate their innovations and rapidly adjust their strategies to meet their customers’ new demands. The report underlines that some providers have developed specific contents for these types of formats in order to increase their sales and visibility in a more attractive manner.

In this regard, in order to facilitate their easy and rapid integration, Telefónica offers companies the tools and support required to launch their Living Apps. Several of them have begun to develop their proposals with initial offers that include, among other items, technological products, articles for pets and cosmetics.

The technological deployment of this new shopping channel will progressively unfold until it reaches the 1.3 million homes that have a Movistar Fusión bundle with a UHD decoder device or a UHD Smart Wi-Fi decoder.

The ever-increasing range of Living Apps available on Movistar+ is complemented by other entertainment, sporting, cultural and travel proposals and different Movistar proprietary services.