Kiosked’s ‘K’ icon on its recent project with Nike
Kiosked’s ‘K’ icon on its recent project with Nike

The fashion world is dividing into different kinds of eshoppers. There are the price comparison pros, who search for bargains armed with apps such as RedLaser and Amazon Barcode Scanner; the window shoppers, who “pin”, “like” and share covetable items on Pinterest and Polyvore moodboards; and the wishlisters, who favour sites with “Save for Later” options to create a fantasy wardrobe from which they may buy just one or two items.

Away from shopping sites, however, the see-it-want-it shopper – who sees something online and wants to buy it there and then – has not really been catered for. Helsinki-based Kiosked aims to change this.

Kiosked turns digital content – whether an advertising image, music video or written text – into a point of sale. “Kiosked is not an ad network, it doesn’t push and isn’t intrusive; it just gives you the opportunity to buy when you see something,” says chief executive Micke Paqvalén.

When an image or video is “Kiosked” a small icon appears indicating it is “enriched”. Shoppers click on the icon, and products related to the image or video pop up, offering the option to “buy now”. They are then taken directly to the retail site. For example, a trailer for Finnish pop star Robin’s tour movie, posted on his Facebook page, allows viewers to purchase T-shirts and DVDs. Shoppers are never shown out-of-stock products as Kiosked updates in real time.

“Shoppable videos are the future,” says John Jannuzzi, contributing digital editor of US shopping publication LuckyMag.com.

Etailers such as Barneys Co-op are already producing shoppable videos. The challenge for brands is to make these videos more engaging.

Kiosked has been working with Nike on its product launches, sending out “Kiosked” images and videos to publishers who can embed them in their own sites. It has also struck a deal with other retailers including Uniqlo, Asos and Yoox. Paqvalén is busy with plans for a global checkout system so that in the future anyone will be able to buy anything, anytime, anywhere.

Johanna Virtanen, Kios­ked’s head of new business development, says: “Instead of dragging people to products, we take products to the people.”

Fiona Harkin is senior vice-president of content at Stylus.com

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2024. All rights reserved.
Reuse this content (opens in new window) CommentsJump to comments section

Follow the topics in this article

Comments