Waitrose cooks up online food TV channel
Supermarket chain works with cloud content services provider to support new multimedia marketing initiative
Waitrose has revealed it is using the Video Cloud online video platform from cloud content services provider Brightcove to support its Waitrose TV online video channel.
Designed to help inspire a nation of cooks, Waitrose TV launched in autumn last year as the first purely food-related online video channel from a retailer, according to the supermarket chain, and is available across multiple devices including desktops, tablets and smartphones.
Powered by Video Cloud and incorporating a ‘click-to-buy’ functionality, Waitrose TV is designed to provide engaging, interactive video experiences. Waitrose TV features six channels, including a weekly-updated ‘highlights’ channel, plus channels dedicated to food, drink, health, ethical sourcing and seasonal events and holidays. It also features how-to guides, interviews and exclusive recipes from experts including top celebrity chefs.
Engaging through multimedia content
Courtney Freedman-Thompson, Waitrose digital editor, said: “With our customers increasingly consuming video content online, we wanted to develop an engaging means of providing shoppers with inspiration for new recipes and dishes to try out for themselves. Using the Video Cloud platform has enabled us to deliver a high-quality user experience with smooth playback and engaging calls-to-action within video content, allowing viewers to easily buy ingredients for recipes they wish to try out at home.”
In addition to its innovative ‘buy ingredients’ functionality, Video Cloud also enables Waitrose TV viewers to find and watch additional related videos and share their favourite videos via Facebook and Twitter. Using Brightcove Video Cloud, the supermarket can deliver engaging, interactive online video experiences designed to help build and strengthen the Waitrose brand, drive audience engagement, increase website dwell-time and repeat visits, and ultimately convert that engagement into positive, measurable sales results.
