When a customer walks into a physical store setting, they’re exposed to the sights, sounds and physical touch of the in-person shopping experience. Such an experience can be difficult to replicate in ecommerce.
But brands can get creative in how they attempt to mimic that in-store feel through ecommerce product videos. Videos can be used to help shoppers understand the intricacies of your brand and product, view products from all angles and get a better grip on the product details that are harder to convey through bullet points or romance copy.
Effective ecommerce product videos can boost conversions, give customers more purchasing confidence and reduce return rates.
Ecommerce Product Videos Increase Exposure and Better Explain the Intricacies of Your Product Line
A product video is like a virtual tour of a product—one that showcases the item, shows it in action and highlights its key benefits and features.
A killer product video can be used to present product details that are hard to convey in imagery, like functionality. It can also reinforce features and benefits for shoppers who prefer more visual product details. Plus, the video format is an excellent option for sharing the design story or inspiration behind a product collection.
Before creating a video, it’s important to understand the different types of product videos and what purposes they serve. Here are a few of the most popular types of ecommerce product videos:
- Product demo video: Demo videos show the product in use, like how a sofa bed folds out or how a light fixture turns on and off.
- Product explainer video: Product explainers are exactly what they sound like: A video that provides more in-depth explanation of the product details or specific features.
- Design/production story: This type of video speaks to the inspiration behind the product design or creation and how it might tie back to the brand ethos.
- Customer testimonial: A customer testimonial involves actual customers talking about why they love the product.
The right type of video depends on the product. Consider what’s most important to communicate about the product and let that guide you.
Product Videos Can Increase Conversions and Reduce Return Rates
Ecommerce product videos can have a major impact on your product content strategy. Here are a few reasons why you should aim to use video in your product content:
Increases Conversions
According to Animoto, 73% of online consumers say they are more likely to buy a product after watching videos that explain how it works. So adding a strong product explainer video could be a simple way to give a boost to products with a subpar conversion rate.
Builds Brand Affinity
A well-executed product video can further emphasize the importance of your brand story and product line, which in turn should help your products better resonate with shoppers.
Provides SEO Value
Product videos can show additional authority around a certain keyword, product name, brand name, category, etc. When it comes to getting your products discovered via search engines, content is the name of the game, and videos are simply another tool to optimize your products.
Gives Shoppers More Purchasing Confidence
According to Wyzowl, almost 80% of people state that product videos give them more confidence when purchasing a product. By better informing shoppers, you’ll give them increased confidence which in turn can lead to more conversions.
Reduces Return Rates
By giving the end customer as much detail as possible, product videos can help ensure customers know exactly what they’re getting, which reduces the risk of buyer’s remorse.
Product videos can and should be a big part of your content strategy. To maximize your efforts, make sure your ecommerce product videos live on actual product display pages (PDP), within enhanced content modules and on your own website.
Examples of Strong Product Videos
Ecommerce product videos don’t have to all look or sound the same, and that’s OK. Depending on the creative direction, your video might look different compared to a competitor’s video.
Here are a few examples of product videos and what makes them supremely watchable.
Kelty Linger Travel Side Table
Why we like it:
- Short and sweet: It's a quick 55 seconds long but packed with detail.
- Assembly explainer: Shows how the table sets up in real-time.
- Close-up shots: Shows detail in the materials and fabrics used.
Patagonia's Men's Pow Slayer Bibs
Why we like it:
- Feature-heavy: It’s jam-packed with info and touches on the many intricate details of the bibs.
- Mix of shots: Shows a nice mix of close-ups and wider shots.
- Real-life scenarios: Draws the connection between each feature and why it’s helpful while skiing.
Echo Dot
Why we like it:
- Simple explainer: Quickly explains what the product is and why this version is different than the previous ones.
- Feature-heavy explainer: Shows what the product can do with quick examples.
- Shows versatility: Displays the product in use in a variety of real-life settings.
Ecommerce product videos thoroughly explain what makes a product or brand special and can further convince customers that they should make the purchase.
Brands should strongly consider making videos part of their larger product content strategy to see a boost in product exposure, increased conversions and reduced return rates.
