How product videos will impact your ecommerce sales

Are you looking to blow past your competitors in online sales? There is one opportunity that many marketers overlook and that is the addition of video to product pages and retail listings.

Customers come to online retail platforms with the intention of shopping, and if you want to convey the attributes of your product right at the site of purchase, you can't afford to overlook the power of video in ecommerce.

Here are some stats you should know:

• A whopping 80% of marketers say video directly increased their sales.
• 84% of consumers say that they've had their buying decisions influenced by a brand's video.
• 66% of consumers said they would prefer to watch a short video to learn about a product.
• Video helps build trust with consumers and 90% of people cite authenticity as a factor when choosing their favorite brands. This is especially true for younger generations.
• More than 50% of consumers want to see videos from brands
• The #1 way consumers discovered a brand they later bought from was through video ads

Luckily it's never too late to incorporate video into your selling strategy. We'll show you the different ways you can leverage video and turn more online browsers into buyers - it's not as complicated as you think.

Why using video on ecommerce works

In order to make a confident buying decision, a customer needs to understand the value and benefits of your product. The most effective way to communicate this information is visually through images and videos. On average, online shoppers expect to see six product images and three videos when they buy a product from a retailer website.

Using videos on your website or ecommerce listings is the easiest way to enhance your on-site customer experiences. Product videos streamline the sharing of information about your brand and give your customers vital information right at the point of purchase.

Because the digital shelf is so crowded you have just a fraction of a second to make an impression on visitors to your website, and 94% of first impressions have to do with visual appeal. The addition of a video to your website or ecommerce listing just might make the difference in enticing your visitors to stay an extra few minutes so they can see what you have to offer.

How to incorporate video into your ecommerce strategy

Most retail sites offer multiple gallery uploads for each product listing that brands can fill with content. Those that incorporate videos into their product listings see the average visitor session increase by 340%, and the amount of browsing per shopping session is increased by 127%.

There are several different places you can implement video to reach customers on ecommerce platforms. Each site will have different requirements but generally, there are three primary places you can publish branded videos.

Store pages

Much like your own online shop, you can control the content placed on your store's page on retail websites. Many give you creative control over designing landing pages for your individual brands, products, and categories.

Each page can be populated with videos, text, and images that tell your brand story and demonstrate your products in action.

Product listings

One of the best ways to convey the value of your product, its uses, and your brand's information is through a video in product listings. It increases traffic, drives conversions, and enhances the overall customer experience.

When you click on an Amazon video, related videos will be displayed as well, giving you more exposure to your products. This feature gives added dimension to your product and will help your business grow tremendously.

Shoppee also highly recommends adding videos to product listing showing that views and sales increase at least 3x with videos.

Kaisa Villa shares an informative short video to show how their product is used on their Shopee listing

For more platform-specific information about each site's visual requirements, read our blog A Comprehensive Guide to Ecommerce Imagery: What Do You Need For Shopee, Amazon, and Lazada

Retail media

As more and more people shop online, marketers have to take advantage of the digital shelf to compensate for the loss of brand interaction in-store such as shelf placement, displays, and point of sale advertising.

Retail media is a digital solution for brands wanting to have a larger presence on online retailers and marketplaces. Retail media refers to advertising within retailer sites and apps - typically by brands that sell their products on retail sites such as Amazon, eBay, Criteo, and more.

Retail media offers brands a way to use native and display ads similarly to endcaps and in-aisle features in a physical store to enhance their visibility and take advantage of the digital shelf.

Depending on where consumers are in their journey, brands can display ads on the product detail page, the home page, the search page, or the category page. This enables businesses to put their product in front of customers right at the point of purchase and incentives conversions.

The different types of product-oriented videos you need

There are many different ways you can show off the positive attributes of your product and it is recommended to use a combination of different videos to appeal to your audience.

Customers at varying stages of the buying cycle need different types of information to help them commit to a purchase. Video helps you communicate the benefits of your product faster and in a more engaging way, often removing any language or cultural barriers.

Product hero

Videos covering certain attributes and details of your product help accentuate features that your audience may not be able to appreciate from images alone.

Close-up video that captures your item from all angles works best to dispel any concerns customers may have about what the item they are purchasing looks like.

Product video showing product texture and use for Suave by Creatively Squared

Item in situation

Content showing a specific product in use helps show your audience the intended purpose and highlights how it fits into a prospective buyer's lifestyle and complements other products in the range. In-situ video is a great way to communicate key benefits and add context to where, how, and when an item can be used by your audience.

Product video showing product context and use for Enfamil by Creatively Squared

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Tutorial or demonstration

Demo videos are an excellent way to convey detailed information and product functions in an easy-to-understand manner. Helping your audience to visualise the benefits of your product can increase revenue per customer by 17%. Sharing tutorials and ideal use-cases are essential for buyers who may need a little more convincing that the product is suitable for their needs.

Product video showing product demonstration for TRESemmé by Creatively Squared

Lifestyle placement

Make your product hyper-relevant to your target market by creating lifestyle videos that feature people and places they identify with alongside your brand. Video provides the ultimate opportunity for brands to capture a moment or feeling for customers to associate with their product. Showing real people using your product will help your brand be perceived as more authentic and trustworthy by your individual audiences.

Product video showing lifestyle context and use for Purar by Creatively Squared

Stop motion

This type of video is a fun and playful way to get creative with your product. It is produced by taking a series of photographs and stringing them together into a video, making items look like they are moving around on their own!

Product video showing product ingredients for Dettol by Creatively Squared

Customer testimonials

Show your prospects how real people use and benefit from your product by creating customer review videos with satisfied customers. These videos act as social proof and demonstrate how you can help solve their specific problem.

Don't forget to cross-promote your videos

Once you've produced great videos featuring your products, it's a no-brainer to publish and promote them across each different channel you maintain a presence on. Your ecommerce videos are ideal for retargeting website visitors with ads and engaging social audiences too!

Short format video is extremely successful when used for performance advertising and organic social. Four of the top six channels where people watch videos are social platforms.

Getting extra mileage out of your content through cross-promotion is a great way to maximise exposure and grow your audience.

In summary

On the crowded digital shelf it is vital to engage customers with informative visuals that can help with their purchase decision. Many brands do not utilise all of the visual touchpoints available on ecommerce and retail websites such as gallery uploads which is the ideal placement for video. Customers expect to see a number of pieces of content on each product listing and brands that do not utilise this opportunity may miss out on the sale.

Video is the most efficient way to engage customers at all stages of the buying cycle. Communicating information visually is the most effective way to help prospective buyers understand the form and function of your product and feel confident enough to purchase.

Creating branded videos that communicate key information through product demonstrations and lifestyle use cases will strengthen product listings and help products stand out in the marketplace.

Creatively Squared has an experience in creating branded video that captures important details and situational uses of products for retail use. Partnering with global content creators to produce branded visuals enables brands to get personalised content suitable for individual target markets and ecommerce platforms.

If you'd like to find out more about partnering with Creatively Squared, we'd love to discuss how we can help your brand connect with consumers online.