Roku and DoorDash team up to boost shoppable ads for restaurants and other merchants

DoorDash and Roku have entered into a new multiyear agreement that will allow the food delivery app’s merchant partners to more easily access shoppable ads via the streaming TV platform, the companies announced today.

Under the terms of the deal, for the first year DoorDash will act as the exclusive ad solutions partner for its U.S.-based restaurant, supermarket and convenience store merchants that seek to buy interactive shoppable ads on Roku.

The partnership will allow major restaurant chains and local eateries alike to place click-to-order ads on Roku screens, which then seamlessly direct users to claim the offer directly on the DoorDash app, said Alison Levin, Roku’s VP of ad revenue and marketing solutions.

According to Levin, there are three key elements to Roku’s new partnership with DoorDash: the power to help restaurants “find the right person at the right moment at scale;” boost shoppability via a consumer’s TV screen and make “food delivery on Roku as easy as it is on mobile;” and provide ad partners with efficient, accurate targeting and measurement options.

“We’ve just started taking the offer to market and the interest has been incredible,” Levin said, especially given in-house research that suggests “one-in-three Roku users order takeout or food delivery every single week.”

New and existing Roku account holders with a linked device will be eligible to get six months of DashPass—DoorDash’s monthly subscription that eliminates delivery fees on many restaurant and grocery orders—for free. (DashPass typically costs $9.99 per month, and will be charged at that rate once each user’s six-month trial period is over.)

Wendy’s has signed on as the launch sponsor, running an exclusive deal valid through Super Bowl Sunday that gives Roku users $5 off any order of $15 or more placed via DoorDash. The restaurant chain has worked with DoorDash a number of times in the past.

“Partnering with DoorDash and Roku as the first brand to enable shoppable TV offers is an exciting new step toward our goal of being the best in delivery,” Carl Loredo, U.S. chief marketing officer for Wendy’s, said in a statement.

The DoorDash partnership adds to Roku’s shoppable ad prowess, which the company has been promoting since it debuted the format at last year’s NewFronts. Roku has since signed a number of shoppable deals with brand partners, including Walmart, which signed an exclusive agreement in June 2022 that allows users to buy products directly via Roku’s platform while their TV show is paused—all without being redirected to Walmart’s website.