Today’s online shopping experience has evolved significantly from what it was just a few short years ago. The advent of advanced retail technology, such as dynamic imaging and online catalogs, has changed the name of the game for both retailers and consumers, as well as upped the ante considerably in terms of site offerings.
In my last post, I explored the ways in which these new technologies help retailers mimic the in-store experience for online shoppers. In this post I will hone in on one particular type of retail technology that’s changing the way goods are presented and sold on the web: video.
Understanding the Product
Video is a powerful tool for online retailers because it enables them to present their products in an engaging, interactive manner. Instead of old-fashioned static images, video allows consumers to easily see how a product works and reacts when used, as well as how certain parts function, move and deliver benefits. This type of interaction offers a whole new layer of understanding for customers trying to compare products and determine the pros and cons of purchases. Think about a clothing site, for example. Video allows retailers to demonstrate not only how certain items are meant to fit, but also how the fabric falls and moves when the wearer walks, sits, or even exercises. This additional dimension can make all the difference in convincing a hesitant buyer to make a purchase.
Less well documented is the ability of video to help convert more technical sales – the ability for a presenter to demo the key functions of a tablet or piece of technical equipment tells a far more compelling story more simply than words allow.
Fun and Simple
Video also offers up the promise of improved customer engagement. When done right—and creatively— it can provide not only an enhanced shopping experience, but also legitimate entertainment. This strategy has worked well for advertising and marketing campaigns in the past. Take for instance the “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” Old Spice campaign that premiered in 2010. The innovative and amusing original ad received more than 47 million online views since airing, proving that if a video succeeds at capturing the viewer’s attention, it can go a long way toward furthering and promoting the brand.
Retailers that deliver this type of experience to consumers tempt them to return to the website, both when they are actively shopping as well as when they’re simply browsing the web during their spare time. In both cases, return visits mean additional opportunities to purchase and the likelihood of more conversions. Additionally, consumers are likely to share innovative or entertaining videos across social channels, which helps spread the content and attract viewers back to the site. Video is certainly a powerful tool when it comes to converting browsers into buyers, and it can also help boost brand awareness.
Today’s video solutions offer the improved benefit of making video fully interactive, allowing viewers to easily click on content surfaced alongside the video at specific times dictated by in-video cue points, that show product details and pricing, as well as the ability to purchase right then and there—all without leaving the video experience. It’s as simple as one, two, three: see the product in action, click for more info, and add it to your cart. Embedding purchase information directly into the video helps keep customer engagement high, because it doesn’t redirect visitors to a new page to buy, and it ensures that making the purchase is a simple and painless process.
The benefits of video used in this way are clear; High levels of conversion (especially from new customers) and increased AOV through showing multiple products in context. Moving forward we can expect to see the use of interactive video content become increasingly mainstream on online sites, as well as across corporate social channels. The ability to provide this next level of customer interaction online will be a differentiator for retailers competing to deliver the most positive, well-rounded image of their products. Video is the next step in bringing the in-store shopping experience to the comfort of the consumer’s home, and it’s yet another example of how rich media content is creating competitive advantage and changing the face of online retail as we know it.
By James Brooke, CEO at Amplience.
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