Big Brother introduces online shopping for 2013

Thursday, June 13, 2013 - 09:34 by Graham Miller

Big Brother has enjoyed more than a decade in the spotlight as one of the UK's most-watched reality TV shows and since its transition to Channel 5, it has become ever more apparent that producers are willing to make product placement a key part of the experience.

TellMix reports that for 2013's series, which is due to kick off tonight, the housemates will be able to order food items and other luxuries online, for the first time.

This is because Big Brother has got a deal with grocery delivery service, Ocado, which will facilitate the web-based food shopping.

Normally it is impossible for housemates to experience the outside world through any form of technology, but things are changing in the world of Big Brother and the e-commerce integration is just one of the updates that is in play this year.

The house itself has conversely been redesigned to be more sustainable and eco-friendly than in the past. Housemates will be showering in the garden and there are electricity-generating exercise bikes on offer for those who want to keep fit and also get power for the gadgets.

A vegetable garden will also be in situ, which means not every product the housemates need will be procured online.

Ocado spokesperson, Jason Gissing, said that his firm was founded in the same year as the first Big Brother show aired in the UK and said that in 2013, the housemates will be using iPads to place orders.

He explained that this would show viewers how easy it is to buy groceries online and arrange for delivery, with Big Brother obviously acting as a means for the firm to boost its profile and appeal to an audience which might not normally purchase food on the internet.