The home shopping TV network HSN has teamed with EchoStar Communications and its DISH Network satellite TV service to launch the HSN Shop by Remote interactive TV (ITV) service.
Said by the companies to be the only live interactive shopping service in the United States, the service will allow the more than 12 million DISH Network subscribers with ITV enabled set-top boxes to purchase products from home using their remote controls.
According to a release, customers can currently access Shop by Remote via the interactive shopping section in DishHOME channel 100, but in a few weeks the service is expected to be accessible directly through HSN on DISH Network channels 84 and 222 so that customers can simply press “select” on their remotes to make purchases when they see something they want to buy.
Shop by Remote was designed by HSN in partnership with interactive provider Tandberg Television. The company says that most purchases on the system take less than 60 seconds to complete, or less than half the time it takes to make purchases via HSN’s automated phone service.
A company release explained that users will be able to use their remote controls to order the item currently being shown on HSN, as well as the two items preceding it and the network’s “Today’s Special” item. The company said that the new service offers all of the customization capabilities, such as size or color selection, that are currently available through the traditional ordering methods and that order confirmations will appear on the TV screen following each purchase.
