Brits wake up to the power of second-screen shopping

TV viewing is fast becoming a live shopping environment, with nearly half (47%) of UK consumers using a mobile device while watching TV or streaming video already shopping: browsing stores, researching products, checking prices or buying.

So says a new report by programmatic media partner MiQ, “From Funnel to Flexibility”, which reveals that second-screening is no longer just a viewing habit. Some 76% of UK consumers use another Internet-connected device while watching TV or streaming video, rising to 92% among 18-44s, while 87% switch between different digital activities within a single hour.

The report insists that, for advertisers, this means the path from discovery to purchase is becoming less linear and more immediate. Media moments that were once treated mainly as awareness opportunities are now part of an omnichannel journey where consumers can move from interest to action in minutes.

MiQ Europe chief strategy officer Alex Deats said: “Second-screen behaviour used to be talked about as a challenge for advertisers. Our data suggests it is now one of the biggest commercial opportunities.

“Today, a viewer might discover a brand through YouTube or a video CTV homescreen unit, check prices on their phone, compare options through AI and return to buy after another prompt. That is not a broken funnel, but it is a different kind of journey. Planning and buying in silos is ultimately not going to deliver the same outcomes that a connected, omnichannel approach will.”

The research shows that these moments are already commercially active. Two-thirds (66%) of UK consumers say they discover brands they like while watching video content, even when they are not actively shopping, rising to 94% among 18-24s. Meanwhile, 41% have used tools such as ChatGPT or Gemini to support their shopping, from comparing products and brands to summarising reviews or asking for gift ideas.

MiQ maintains this creates a new challenge for full-funnel marketing. It can no longer mean simply running separate activities at the top, middle and bottom of a plan. It means understanding how signals from different channels connect, and using that intelligence to reach people with the right message, in the right context, at the right moment.

Deats added: “Brands need to look beyond a multi-channel approach, where channels are often planned and bought in isolation due to the extent of market fragmentation. Instead, they should focus on strategies and partners that offer a more connected view of consumer behaviour.

“The brands that will win will be those able to bring together signals from what consumers are watching, browsing and buying into one coherent view, and use those insights to power a truly omnichannel strategy, measured against the incremental results it produces. That’s what we believe drives real growth for brands, and what makes their marketing investments work that much harder.”