Two Netflix anime series, Eden and Yasuke will be featured in the store on its first day. A clock based on the Yasuke character Haruto, created in collaboration with artist and designer Nathalie Nguyen, is priced at $US135.

There is also a Yasuke clothing line, which came about through a collaboration with the streetwear label Hypland and its founder, Jordan Bentley. “He’s part of that drop culture, where kids are lining up on Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles to buy his products,” Simon said.

In the coming months, products tied to other Netflix shows, including Stranger Things and Money Heist will appear on the online shelves.

The demand seems to be there: Thousands of fan-made products related to the Netflix documentary series Tiger King including candles, face masks and greeting cards, are on sale at Etsy and similar sites, without the company’s blessing.

Netflix has capitalized on hits like Bridgerton a period romance from producer Shonda Rhimes, which debuted in December. Working with the clothing company Phenomenal, Netflix started selling $US59 sweatshirts inspired by the show. The line includes a lavender hoodie with the words “I Wish to Be Entertained” across the front, as well as a crew neck with the message, “I Burn for You.”

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, a Netflix romantic-comedy film franchise, has spawned a clothing and accessories line at H&M as well as beauty kits at Sephora. There are also Mattel dolls and a Walmart plush toy tied to the Netflix animated hit Over the Moon.

Netflix.shop will allow the company to move faster to meet demand for items related to Netflix shows that trend on social media. “We did that pretty quickly,” Simon said of the Bridgerton sweatshirts, “but I think we’re talking about a matter of days when we have our next unexpected hit.”

A desire for quick turnaround times played into the company’s decision to run its store through Shopify, whose technology supports an array of vendors including Allbirds, Kith, The New York Times and Kim Kardashian’s Skims.

Sales of licensed products tied to shows, films and characters were about $US49 billion in the United States in 2019 and $US128 billion globally, according to the most recent study of the industry by Licensing International, a trade group. The biggest player, by orders of magnitude, is Disney.

Simon, the Netflix executive, said the money generated by the shopping site is not expected to match the amount Netflix makes through its deals with store chains and fashion brands. “Practically speaking, the revenue will come more from those partners around the world in terms of sheer footprint and number of locations and magnitude,” he said.

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Unlike Disney, which is estimated to generate tens of billions of dollars in sales each year in merchandise, Netflix has no plans for brick-and-mortar stores in malls or Times Square.

Mark A. Cohen, the director of retail studies and an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s Business School, said he was sceptical about the longevity of the Netflix store after the excitement around its opening fades, in part because of the come-and-go cycle of Netflix hits.

“Most of them have a short shelf life, unlike a Disney property, which is a generational-long ride,” he said.