Videos are a powerful way to showcase products on an ecommerce website, and savvy online retailers are discovering ways to get the best return on their investment in video.
For example, videos can help improve SEO campaign results, and user-generated videos can help boost conversion rates.
Almost every type of website you visit these days features video prominently, since website visitors and shoppers have a growing appetite for video.
It’s more engaging for website visitors, and tells a brand or product story in a more immersive way than text and images do.
For ecommerce businesses, video has provided a powerful new way to showcase products and online merchants are creating increasingly sophisticated videos to take advantage of viewer engagement.
Initially, videos were treated more like glorified photos, but today, they’re seen as valuable marketing tools for SEO and social media programs, as well as hugely beneficial for mobile commerce. Here’s how forward-thinking online retailers are using video to benefit their businesses right now.
Videos drive “curated commerce”
The popularity of websites such as Pinterest, which allow users to gather images and videos based on their interests, is causing savvy ecommerce companies to consider how video can impact these communities.
As these sites open up their functionality for video “pinning” – that is, allowing members to attach videos as well as images to their virtual “walls” – ecommerce businesses should be ready with creative videos that these users will eagerly share.
When it first debuted, Pinterest limited membership to individuals. However, in late 2012, the site opened up membership to businesses as well. This means now is the perfect time for online merchants to create Pinterest pinboards for their brands and businesses.
Video helps improve SEO campaigns
Adding product videos to websites can help boost search rankings. Google in particular favors video in its search results. Additionally, a rise in your rankings can also be expected.
Google and YouTube are continually changing their search algorithms for video in order to determine how to present results that their users find most relevant.
In October, for example, YouTube announced that it would rank videos based on “watch time,” giving preference to videos that are watched for longer periods of time instead of only watched for a few seconds. It’s clear that sites like Google and YouTube will continue to change their search algorithms to refine video-related results.
Become a regular reader of the Google and YouTube blogs to stay current on search changes.
Video plays a role in digital marketing
When you’ve invested time and money to create ecommerce videos, you want to realize a proper return on that investment.
Smart marketers use videos beyond website product pages. For instance, they embed videos in email newsletters, post them onto social networks, and create channels on YouTube or Vimeo. All of this helps increase their visibility, and their impact on the bottom line.
Videos take the place of product images
Still images have their place in ecommerce, but they are less effective than video when it comes to influencing a purchasing decision by online shoppers or telling your brand story. However, you can convert images into videos very easily.
Even simple slideshows composed of still images and supplemented with voiceover and background music are far more engaging than a static image.
Videos encourage m-commerce
Many shoppers use mobile devices to browse for products, especially when they’re inside of a shop. However, they don’t want to scroll much, nor click on lots of links to find what they need.
Videos can actually replace a product page on a mobile commerce site, helping mobile consumers make quick buying decisions, since they can include details like options, price, and availability.
Soliciting user-generated videos
Videos created by consumers can have more impact than videos created by a business, since consumers trust what their peers are saying.
Today, online merchants are looking for new ways to gather and make use of user-generated videos in their ecommerce storefronts, since these videos can help increase conversions and are also more likely to go viral.
Reader comments (10)
Freelance SEO Consultant at Justin March
6:17PM on 21st March 2013
I would agree that some videos do improve conversions, engagement etc.
However just like poorly designed websites won't work neither will rubbishy videos.
The problem isn't in the idea of video but the execution.
UK Director at Treepodia
9:41AM on 22nd March 2013
I totally agree Justin and that is where companies like Treepodia can add value by making sure that all video assets are of "production" quality and perform well.
Freelance SEO Consultant at Justin March
10:01AM on 22nd March 2013
With video, (as with everything) content is king too many videos are developed without fully considering the needs of the customer.
12:02PM on 22nd March 2013
I've created videos for e-commerce sites previously and it was well made and has brought good traffic to the website, but I was not so sure at that time to what extent it might helped conversion rate. But I guess it's not a direct conversion and it can be found with GA's Multi-channel funnel. I'd really like to see some case studies on this.
Marketing Intelligence Director at 5ENSE
1:24PM on 22nd March 2013
"Still images have their place in ecommerce, but they are less effective than video when it comes to influencing a purchasing decision by online shoppers or telling your brand story."
I'm not really sure if I entirely agree with this assumption. It really depends on the image and the video. Use a large high quality image by a good professional and creative photographer, and there's a good chance it will do better than a video. Unlike video, images have immediate impact and can relay information in a few thousandths of a second.
Both images and video have their place in ecommerce, but its success ultimately comes down to how well one or the other is executed.
UK Director at Treepodia
5:10PM on 22nd March 2013
I think that one of the real benefits of product videos over images is that you not only get to showcase the product but also the key selling points of the store and even product reviews - these save the shopper having to navigate separately to these items and increase engagement.
Freelance SEO Consultant at Justin March
11:24AM on 23rd March 2013
Yes the "real benefits" but the real benefits should be conveyed in terms of the customers perspective not the business owners.
This is what I feel a lot of websites get wrong with copy, video, imagery etc.
When people talk about video as being some kind of magical elixir, that worries me, because it tells me that they think that anything will do, and it won't.
Videos impart info quickly and easily and I agree they are amazing when done well.
But (as I have said a few times before) they are no panacea...
Also I agree the video should be of sufficient quality, that quality needs to be determined by the needs and expectations of the audience.
9:16AM on 25th March 2013
I totally agree with Justin a poorly thought out video will turn users off and they won't come back. We always use a proper filmmaker for all our clients videos. That way we agree scripts, actors and follow filmmaking rules. We've just done a round up of the best videos we've seen last week on our blog - Content Marketing Daily - which we thought were great examples of video done well.
Marketing Executive at vzaar
10:26AM on 26th March 2013
I agree with the comments above. Video can be a hugely powerful tool but it's always important to set out the objectives of the video and make sure to keep audience expectations in mind. So, for example eCommerce companies using product videos should always include a call to action or brand awareness videos should include social sharing options.
Quality and load time are also really important - you might have a great script and engaging content but if it takes too long to play people won't wait to see it!
2:10PM on 4th April 2013
Definitely videos wil improve your eCommerce site . Nice Post ..Keep Sharing
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