Shoppable CTV

A connected TV viewer sees your product in a Demand Gen ad. They’re interested, but there’s no click, no cart, no next step. Google launched a format in January 2026 that puts a scrollable product carousel beside the video and lets viewers scan a QR code to open the product page on their phone - without pausing what they’re watching.

How it shows up in the wild

Google Demand Gen (January 2026, rolled out to all Merchant Center-connected Demand Gen and Performance Max advertisers): Product images, names, and prices pull directly from a brand’s Merchant Center feed and appear as a carousel alongside the video. Campaigns that include TV screens drive an average of 7% additional conversions at the same ROI, per Google’s January 2026 Demand Gen Drop. Viewers engage via QR code or a “send to phone” option that opens the product page without interrupting what’s on screen.

Strike Social (YouTube shoppable CTV benchmarking, 2025–2026): Performance marketers running YouTube-based shoppable CTV formats see 30–40% lower CPA versus standard pre-roll on the same inventory, per Strike Social’s analysis. The format extends reach into audiences who watch YouTube exclusively on TV screens - a segment that desktop and mobile campaign targeting frequently misses.

Why it matters

CTV has historically been an upper-funnel channel - reach and awareness, with no direct path to purchase. Shoppable CTV changes the channel’s role: a TV impression can now generate a phone-based purchase within seconds of a viewer seeing the product.

For brands with a Merchant Center feed already set up, the format requires no new creative production. My hunch is that the 7% conversion lift Google reports understates the impact for catalog-heavy brands, because the format gives viewers near the bottom of the funnel a low-friction exit ramp they haven’t had on the big screen before.

Related terms

• Demand Gen Campaigns - the Google campaign type through which shoppable CTV runs
• Dynamic Product Ads - Meta’s feed-based equivalent for Facebook and Instagram
• ROAS - the primary metric used to evaluate shoppable CTV performance
• Smart Bidding - the bid strategy Google uses to optimize across CTV and non-CTV placements in Performance Max

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to set up a separate campaign for shoppable CTV? No. If you’re running Demand Gen or Performance Max with a Merchant Center feed connected, shoppable CTV is an eligible placement. Google’s delivery system determines when to serve it. You don’t opt into specific placements; the format activates when Google determines it’s the right environment.

What’s the difference between shoppable CTV and a standard Demand Gen video ad on TV? A standard Demand Gen video ad on CTV shows the video and nothing else. Shoppable CTV adds a product carousel alongside the video and a mechanism - QR code or phone-push - for the viewer to act on what they see. The creative asset is the same; the interactive layer is added by Google at serve time for CTV devices.

Can I see CTV-specific performance separately in Google Ads? Yes, partially. Google Ads reports allow filtering by device type, including “Connected TV.” You can segment impressions, cost, and conversions by this device type in Demand Gen and Performance Max campaigns to isolate CTV’s contribution from desktop and mobile.