We’re pleased to be cited as a source in a recent Forrester Report on adoption of online video. A few highlights from the report:
64% of customers who view videos find them “very useful” in making purchase decisions
A majority of the top 50 online retailers have video on their sites (last year, it was only 18%)
In driving results, the right type of content and the right placement are everything
Babies R Us, an Invodo customer, was shown as an example of eCommerce video
Any impact video has now may be the tip of the iceberg, as a minority of consumers currently view video on product pages – yet video drives substantial conversion improvement. As more users adopt viewing videos, it follows that the conversion uplift will increase.
The report, by Patti Freeman Evans with Cristina Bugnaru and Brendan McGowan, reaffirms that high growth in this space is just around the corner – and that forward-thinking online retailers are incorporating video into their plans.
A recent survey conducted by TurnHere and reported on by ReelSEO produced interesting findings about marketing priorities for 2010. One hundred and sixteen respondents from a variety of companies, in both size and industry, agreed that online video was their number one priority for 2010 topping both email and search marketing.
Online video is still a mystery to many marketing teams. In the aforementioned survey, top reasons for using video included branding, exposure to audiences, viral purposes, and site stickiness. While it is easy to see the prominence of video on the internet, how does a business take a social trend and turn it into an effective piece of their marketing mix?
What kind of video will elicit results aligned with marketing goals?
How do you create that type of video?
Who and how watches online video?
How do you control content and target effectively?
What is the best video placement? Who takes care of hosting and streaming?
Video seems simple on the surface; just shoot it, post it, and all will be good. However, once you begin to scratch the surface, the variables involved in planning, creating, and distributing online video are many.
Invodo has created a turn key video solution that solves the online video dilemma. We understand that companies want and now need video to stay competitive in an ever changing online landscape. Video is complex and needs thought and attention to operate as an effective marketing tool. Decide the purpose for your online video and execute. For those who need eCommerce video that increases online sales and conversion I have one word- Invodo.
One of the things that differentiates eCommerce video from those old-fashioned things called television commercials (remember them?) is a tone of trustworthiness.
Consider the trust index below from today’s eMarketer. Friends and family top the list – no surprise, and a good reason to include social marketing as part of the mix. But when it comes to placing eCommerce video on product pages to drive conversion, you simply can’t include everyone’s friends and family.
At the bottom of the list are television presenters and celebrities. (We suspect that animated slide show “product videos” would rank even lower). If you use television-commercial techniques or celebrity endorsements as part of your eCommerce video strategy, you’re using the least trustworthy tone and presentation. A store assistant, according to the chart below, is rated as 30% more trustworthy than a TV pitchman or celebrity.
So stop putting off launching an eCommerce video initiative because talent is a barrier. It’s not. You don’t need Tiger Woods to demo your products. The talent you have – your product managers, your best sales reps, your business managers – will build trust more effectively than any celebrity could. eCommerce video is about driving conversion. This is one course where you have it in you to outdrive Tiger Woods.
The way to make effective eCommerce video that online users will watch is to keep them simple, short, and informative. Jason Kincaid of TechCrunch recently wrote, “The Underutilized Power Of The Video Demo To Explain What The Hell You Actually Do.” Because most information hunters are quite lazy, especially consumers, it is hard for companies to convey their entire value proposition through just text.
Therefore, why write what you do when you can show it through video! Video has far more advantages than a block of copy. If done correctly, video can be interactive, engaging, serve as an additional branding opportunity, and better convey a message that could take 5 pages of text to communicate. And let’s be honest….. who is going to visit a website and read 5 pages vs. watch a video?
In order to jump the “lazy hurdle” and break through online noise, companies and brands should utilize video to educate and engage their audiences. As Invodo has previously defined here, eCommerce video is the ideal tool for brands to use to explain their products to consumers and increase online sales. Sure, eCommerce video might not have all the glitz and glamour that highly produced commercial content does, but that is what makes them work. Consumers don’t want to be sold to, they want to be informed.
To be effective, utilize eCommerce video that is authentic and feature focused and stick it on a product description page! You inform the consumer at the point of purchase therefore selling to them under the guise of a thoughtful and nice manufacturer who was so kind to put up such a beneficial video.
If you K.I.S.S. and place videos in the appropriate location, you will be able to fully utilize the power of video. Check out how Invodo can help and be a complete video solution for both manufacturers and retailers.
Online video continues to explode even outranking social networking sites in popularity. According to Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, in April 2009, 62% of internet users watched online video on a video sharing site while only 46% of internet users frequented a social networking site. The obvious trend in online video leads to one question…..
Why doesn’t everyone have video on their site??
Invodo is the video solution positioned to help online retailers sell more products through leveraging product video content. As experts in creating, managing, and syndicating eCommerce video, Invodo offers partners a complete video solution aimed at increasing sales and conversion rates. Now is the time to tap into the massive online video audience and gain the benefits that online eCommerce video offers. Learn more about the importance of video and check out some video examples on YouTube.
Online video continues to explode even outranking social networking sites in popularity. According to