Amazon Shop the Scene, a new feature for Prime Video, lets US subscribers buy clothing and products worn or used by actors in a show, using AI to surface matching or similar items on the Amazon Shopping app without leaving what they are watching.
The feature, confirmed by TechCrunch as live on iOS and Android in the US, is available across more than 600 Prime Video titles. Amazon announced it on Thursday.
The match between what appears on screen and what Amazon surfaces may not always be exact, the company said.
How Amazon Shop the Scene works
Users open the Amazon Shopping app while watching a show or film. The AI-powered tool identifies items visible in the current scene and presents products to buy or browse. The transaction is completed on the phone, keeping the viewing experience on the television.
Prime Video’s X-Ray feature, which identifies actors and music while a programme plays, is also getting a new shop tab. Viewers can open X-Ray with their remote, browse associated products, and finalise a purchase on their phone.
The broader Shop the Show experience, which Amazon introduced last year to let users browse merchandise related to shows such as bobbleheads or LEGO sets, is expanding to more than 8,000 titles, up from 1,300 previously.
‘We are making it easier than ever for Prime Video customers to shop what they see on screen,’ said Michelle Rothman, vice president of Prime Video shopping.
Streaming services compete for commerce revenue
Amazon is not the first to pursue shoppable television. NBC’s streaming service Peacock introduced a Must ShopTV feature in 2023 that let viewers purchase products featured in content in real time. Amazon‘s rival Disney also tested a shoppable feature on Disney+ that allowed subscribers to shop via a QR code displayed on their TV screen.
Netflix, Disney and Peacock have all experimented with ways to make streaming more profitable, including subscription price rises, account-sharing crackdowns and ad-supported tiers.
Amazon’s ad-supported Prime Video tier now reaches more than 315 million people worldwide, up from the 200 million figure the company disclosed in 2024, Amazon said late last year.
Thursday’s announcement also builds on Amazon’s existing virtual product placement technology, which uses machine learning to insert brand imagery into films and TV shows after production has finished.
There is some evidence that product placement influences consumers. A survey by YouGov found earlier this year that just over half of US adults consider product placement an effective form of advertising, against 14% who said it was ineffective. Of the 4% of respondents who said they took action after seeing a brand in content, 22% searched for the product online and 10% made a purchase.
The Shop the Scene feature is available now in the US through the Amazon Shopping app on iOS and Android.
