In 2023, consumers are spending an average of 17 hours a week watching online videos. From immersive 360-degree product videos to engaging user tutorials, videos are an effective way to showcase your products and enhance your customers' shopping experience.
In this post, we'll explore how to use video commerce to increase the visibility of your products, captivate your audience, and drive more sales.
What Are the Benefits of Video Commerce?
Videos can create a more engaging and immersive experience for customers. They have the power to evoke emotions, tell stories, and captivate the audience in ways that static images and text alone cannot. Videos leverage visuals, motion, and sound to effectively communicate the value, benefits, and unique selling points of a product.
Here are a few benefits of using video on your ecommerce platform.
More Visibility
Videos help customers make informed decisions by providing more visibility into your products. They allow customers to see what the product looks like and how it works. People can see the product from every angle, explore its features, and get a better sense of its size, texture, and functionality before committing to a purchase.
More Conversions
Videos can also persuade people to make the purchase they've been thinking about. Eighty-nine percent of respondents in a Wyzowl survey said they had been influenced to buy a product or service based on a video they saw. Videos can help alleviate uncertainties and increase confidence that this is the product or service for viewers, which can ultimately lead to higher conversion rates.
Higher Search Rankings
Videos keep visitors on your website longer, which can help boost your search engine rankings, leading to more traffic. Research from Wistia shows that their content with video had 46.2% more views, and people stayed on those pages 2.6x longer than on pages without video. Once people are on the page, videos like testimonials and tutorials tell a story that viewers want to watch all the way through.
5 Ways To Use Video to Boost Online Sales
There are a few types of videos to use when you want to showcase your offerings. Choose the right format for your specific products to maximize their impact.
1. 360 Product Videos
These videos enable customers to view your products from all angles, just like they would in a physical store. Unlike static photos or fixed-perspective videos, 360-degree product videos provide a more dynamic and interactive experience. These videos usually have no voiceovers, but customers can interact with them, controlling the viewing angle and zooming in on specific features. They're particularly effective for items like clothing, footwear, furniture, and home decor.
2. Virtual Product Tour Videos
Use video to virtually guide customers through the features, functions, and components of a product so they get a deeper understanding of its capabilities and benefits. The visual guidance they provide is key, but you can also use text or voiceovers to describe what the viewer is seeing.
These videos are particularly helpful for products that have many pieces or features, such as electronics (like computers and smartphones) or appliances (like grills and refrigerators). These products often have intricate functions, various components, and unique features that may require more explanation than text alone can provide.
3. Product Closeup Videos
Closeup videos are similar to 360 videos but filmed with a lens that is specifically meant for up-close and detailed views. They let visitors see the product more clearly than just zooming in on a picture --- closeup videos offer a more immersive experience, highlighting intricate details that might otherwise go unnoticed. You can also include text or voiceovers to explain the details.
Use closeup videos to showcase small or intricately detailed items, such as jewelry, collectibles, memorabilia, and artwork. These products often have fine craftsmanship, delicate features, and unique characteristics that can be better appreciated through closeup visuals.
4. Customer Tutorials
Customer-tutorial videos offer a unique and authentic perspective on product usage. Unlike tutorials featuring paid actors, videos with customers are more relatable and authentic because they show real people using the product. It's social proof of the product's benefits, which can build trust and confidence with viewers.
Customer tutorials are helpful for a variety of product categories. For example, with beauty items such as makeup, hair products, and skincare, these videos demonstrate application techniques and helpful tips. Or with gym equipment, these videos can demonstrate proper usage and highlight the benefits of the equipment.
5. Video Chat for Customer Service
Using video on your ecommerce platform isn't just for products — you can also use it with your live chat function for customer service.
Video chat is good for customer service as it aligns with customer preferences: 52% of customers say their preferred communication channel is chat. Video chat enables real-time engagement, fostering a more personalized and efficient customer experience.
You can integrate video chat into your ecommerce website or app as a dedicated customer service channel so customers can connect with your support team in real time. This direct interaction enables agents to address queries, provide personalized recommendations, and guide customers through their purchase journey.
For marketplace platforms that facilitate buyer and seller interactions, incorporating video chat can enhance the transaction process. Buyers can engage in live video chat with sellers to ask specific questions about products or negotiate terms.
Harness the Power of Video To Stay Ahead of the Competition
In today's digital landscape, the power of video commerce can't be ignored. With the continuing rise of video consumption, customers crave dynamic and interactive experiences that provide a deeper understanding of products. They want to be informed so they can feel confident about making a purchase online.
To stay ahead of the competition, businesses must harness the potential of video and stay informed about emerging video trends and technologies like live video shopping, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR).
To unlock the full potential of video commerce, use a trusted video partner like Stream. Stream's video solution is secure and scalable, allowing platforms to support hundreds of thousands of users.
