NZME and The Warehouse launch Selection Live Shopping

Mike Puru will host the Selection Live Shopping channel. Photo / NZME

NZME has joined forces with nationwide retailer The Warehouse Group to create a unique shopping experience through a new online channel hosted on the NZ Herald website.

The new channel - called Selection Live Shopping - will host live shopping events every Tuesday at 12.30pm on nzherald.co.nz, showcasing a variety of products.

Each event will be hosted by award-winning radio host Mike Puru and will drive viewers to make purchases on the featured client’s e-commerce site.

The launch episode will feature winter essentials from The Warehouse.

NZME chief digital and publishing officer Carolyn Luey said NZME was thrilled to be the first media company in the country to test live shopping.

“We’re always in tune with the latest digital trends and innovations at NZME, and we’re seeing across the globe a rise in retailers designing innovative and virtual shopping solutions for their customers.”

Luey said, “We’ll be testing a series of captivating and dynamic live events to help NZ Herald readers to find their next favourite purchase.

“The Selection Live Shopping is perfect for those who prefer the convenience of shopping online and miss the informative chat that an in-store salesperson provides.”

Luey said the channel will include live discussions about the features of products, audience polls and giveaways.

The Warehouse Group chief customer officer Jonathan Waecker said, “The NZ Herald’s new live shopping channel presents a unique opportunity for us to engage with Kiwis on a whole new level.

“We’re really looking forward to showing off our incredible range of quality products at incredible prices in an interactive way.”

The Warehouse is working with Omnicom Media Group, having committed to four episodes across the next two months.

Omnicom NZ chief executive Nigel Douglas said, “We are always striving for ‘firsties’ and ways to break new ground, so this new live shopping format is the perfect way to bring our vision to life.”

Mike Puru, known for his work on radio stations Flava and The Hits, said he looked forward to making the weekly online shopping events “highly anticipated, fun and engaging”.

“Having heard how popular and successful live shopping has been internationally, I’m excited to be hosting this unique new experience for NZ Herald’s audience.”

The first live shopping event will take place at 12.30pm on Tuesday, May 9 at nzherald.co.nz/liveshopping.