Q&A: Clicktivated Founder and CEO Chris Roebuck

RTIH: Tell us about Clicktivated

CR: Clicktivated is the market leader in interactive and shoppable video tech that enables viewers with the ability to interact with individual products/items in video as they watch with a simple click.

We work to create a more personalised and immersive experience for each viewer by connecting them to the products and information they are interested in as they watch. Our clean UX helps to empower the viewer with frictionless shopping moments that allow for seamless access to products at the time of inspiration and interest.

RTIH: What was the inspiration behind setting the company up?

CR: We had enough with the standard viewing experience and dealing with the frustration of trying to find products/items we wanted to buy or learn more about.

So we set out to solve the issue of in-video monetisation and viewer engagement by creating the solution to finally connect viewers to whatever they were interested in inside video.  

RTIH: What has been the industry reaction thus far?

CR: The response has been great. As a company, we have been part of the evolution of digital video over the last five years and have helped make the idea of “shoppable” or “interactive” video a reality for some of the industry’s largest and most iconic brands. 

On a daily basis, we are seeing that the industry as a whole is starting to quickly understand the importance of bridging the gap between their videos and the products or information within them. Clicktivated’s proprietary tech is finally allowing the industry to connect more effectively with their consumers by creating a more immersive and engaging experience.

"There is an overwhelming amount of products in the retail sector right now. Shopping online has become an effort or a chore instead of an enjoyable experience, and omnichannel should help create more of an effortless experience for the consumer"

RTIH: What has been your biggest challenge/setback?

CR: Founders of startups and early stage companies often feel they’re bombarded with challenges 24/7. However, how you deal with these challenges ultimately separates you from the rest.

The biggest challenge we’ve had to overcome is finding the most efficient way to manage and execute client projects with such a small team. At the beginning, this made my head spin, but after countless conversations with my Co-founder and CTO, we created a new more seamless workflow that would allow us to execute at a higher level than we have in the past. These new methods and processes have helped get us to where we are today.  

RTIH: What are the biggest challenges facing the omnichannel retail sector right now?

CR: The biggest challenge is oversaturation: there is an overwhelming amount of products in the retail sector right now. Shopping online has become an effort or a chore instead of an enjoyable experience, and omnichannel should help create more of an effortless experience for the consumer. 

Another challenge is the idea of “shoppability” across all channels. While this is an incredible concept, in reality it just doesn’t exist, yet. Consumers still have to search on their own to find anything they may have seen elsewhere on the internet. Brands are just not sensitive enough to this disconnect yet, as large-scale strategy changes take time. 

I do believe that some brands are starting to understand this, although now it’s a matter of moving fast enough to make sure they don’t lose their audience to competing brands that are already creating a seamless experience across channels.   

RTIH: What's the best question about your company or the market asked of you recently by a.) an investor and b.) a customer?

CR: Investor “What do you need in order to make this work for movies?

Client “How quickly can you activate our entire library?”

RTIH: What can we expect to see from Clicktivated over the next 12 months?

CR: Big things! Our main focus over the next 12 months is speed to market, platform ease of use, UX and automation. Clicktivated is positioned to be the first platform to solve the challenge of being able to fully automate in video product recognition. This is a game changer and has the potential to be the biggest monetisation opportunity that digital video has ever experienced.

As today’s digital landscape is always changing, we make it a point to understand the landscape and the current benefits and shortcomings of what is being offered. We feel this helps prepare us for the next big thing and better understand what consumers are inclined to want more of.